The Bones of A God
by mantisbelle
Summary: Once upon a time, monsters roamed the entire world, so plentiful that they needed countless numbers to fight them off. 13 years ago, that changed. Grimm died off suddenly and stopped proliferating. Now the few Creatures of Grimm that are left are too large and powerful to be taken down in "the old ways." That doesn't make them any less of a threat.
1. The Dark Horizon

**AN: I feel like I've waited a thousand years to finally get this fic underway and start putting it out there for you guys to see. Anyways, as of right now, what you need to know is that there are no ships currently planned for this fic, and that it takes place in something very similar to the canon one but with some key differences in its historical timeline.**

 **Aside from that, there's not really anything that's massively important to know. Hope you all enjoy it!**

* * *

"You see it, right?"

Ruby sat on the windowsill on the uppermost level of the weathered Beacon Academy tower, watching the gigantic grimm as it wandered through the Emerald Forest in search of something, just on the horizon. She didn't know _what_ the monster could be looking for, but it was there, a recent arrival that always seemed to be seeking something.

If she knew what it was, she supposed that would have made the monster a little bit less impressive.

Supposedly, the grimm used to be hostile, always attacking the kingdoms and their inhabitants without much reason. They would come when people started feeling overwhelming negative emotions. The stories said that they also used to be a lot smaller but they were more common.

But things had changed over the last decade or so, at least, that was what people said.

The number of grimm had dropped, but the ones that were left had gotten bigger and bigger, and much harder to kill.

Ruby didn't know why. According to her dad and Uncle Qrow, things had just changed almost overnight. Nobody really seemed to know why.

"Yeah, I see it." Ruby's older sister said as she took her seat next to her little sister and looked out at the horizon as well. "I don't know why you like watching it so much though."

"Well-" Ruby swallowed, inching a little closer to the window. "They're cool. I mean, just _look_ at it!" Ruby blinked, pressing one hand against the window and leaning in slightly. "Can you believe mom and dad used to fight them?" She blinked and smiled softly. "I want to be like them."

Yang sighed and shook her head, taking her seat next to Ruby on the windowsill. "I mean, I get that, but you also know that they… aren't so easy to fight anymore. You've heard dad's stories."

Ruby paused, knowing that Yang was completely correct in what she was saying. "Yeah, I know." She finally said. "But we're here for a reason, Yang. Professor Ozpin thought that we were strong enough to be trained for this sort of thing, and you and I _both_ wanted to be here." She shrugged slightly, bringing her knees up to her chest. "Ozpin says that getting rid of the rest of them can save the world."

Yang laughed quietly and raised a hand to push her too-wild golden hair back away from her face. "You still want to save the world?" She leaned back against the wall behind her, still seated. "They don't attack anyone unless they try to get too close or unless they're attacked first. The chance to go around the world fighting them is cool. But…" Yang shrugged. "I dunno if fighting them is the right thing, you know? Seems way too risky."

"Well…" Ruby paused, thinking some things over for a moment and watching as the grimm on the horizon turned and seemed to stare at the Beacon Academy tower for just a moment. It was almost like the monster had been able to hear her, and that thought was enough to send a shiver down her spine at the thought.

After all, she and Yang had both been brought up on scary stories about what grimm used to do to people. What they could do to people.

Uncle Qrow had always said that a grimm of that size would have been able to flatten a village without any trouble. Ruby didn't doubt him for a second, because of the way that he always seemed to hide a little shudder, along with the way that her dad always tended to shoot Qrow a glare whenever the topic was brought up.

Of course, Ruby knew about why that was.

So did Yang.

But Ruby also knew that she needed to be able to give Yang an answer. Whether or not killing the monsters or provoking them was worth it was just one of those things that people always seemed to debate for some reason. Ruby didn't see any reason to question it.

"Well," She finally spoke up again, closing her eyes for a moment so that she could think things over. "I think that if they're waiting for something like Uncle Qrow and Professor Ozpin say, then we should get rid of them before that thing can happen." Ruby shifted slightly, almost uncomfortable for a reason that she couldn't quite name. "Right?"

Yang looked at her with those bright violet eyes of her and just smiled for a moment before reaching out and mussing Ruby's hair. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Ruby waved her arms in protest, trying to push her older sister away from her. "I mean," Yang smirked. "It's my job to keep you safe."

"I think I'll do just fine on my own." Ruby answered, pushing her hair back into place with a bit of a scowl on her face. "Me and Crescent Rose can take anything."

"Not without a team you can't." Yang laughed, hopping down off of her perch and stretching slightly. "C'mon." She said quietly. "There's supposed to be lunch ready soon."

"Can I stay up here for a little bit longer?" Ruby said quietly, still peering out at the horizon and watching as that giant monster once again began to move again. She wondered what it was looking for. What it was waiting for.

She didn't think that she actually wanted to know that that thing was, though.

If something was coming to make them come after humanity, it had to be something bad. Something terrible.

"No can do, little sister." Yang responded. "C'mon, what would dad think if he found out if you were skipping meals?"

Ruby paused and sighed, hopping down off of the windowsill and adjusting her hood so that she didn't end up with her cape getting caught on anything. "Yeah, you're right."

"I'll see you there for lunch?" Yang asked, smiling widely over at Ruby. Ruby smiled back at her sister. Yang was always there to pick her up when things were bad.

"Alright." Ruby said, listening carefully as Yang went to the door. "I'll be right down."

Yang left.

Ruby decided to linger for a little bit longer, watching as the grimm seemed to stop once again, picking a head up to stare at the cracked moon that hung over the world of Remnant.

She took a deep breath hopped down off of her perch before making her way down to the great hall to join her sister for a meal.

* * *

"You see that thing, right?"

Qrow sat on top of Ozpin's desk with his legs crossed, watching a grimm as it moved off in the distance. There had been a couple of students there in that office earlier, to his knowledge, but he didn't know too much about it. He figured that his niece Ruby was probably one of them, but didn't care enough to read into it. As long as nothing weird happened, he had no reason to worry.

"Yes." Ozpin answered, taking a step forward so that they peered out over Qrow's shoulder at the grimm up on the horizon. "It is a bit of an eyesore, isn't it?"

Qrow sighed heavily and shook his head. Supposedly they were going to have some company later on in the evening, but since Qrow both didn't actually work there at Beacon Academy and had the easiest time moving around, he wasn't worried. It meant that he ended up being early for a lot more meetings than people knew.

He shrugged slightly and turned slightly to look back at Ozpin from his perch. "Any idea how far it is from us?"

"Shouldn't you know that?" Ozpin joked, taking a seat in their seat. "Seeing as you're our scout."

"Hey!" Qrow responded, putting on a fake pout of sorts. "Mostly retired these days."

"Well," Ozpin responded, sipping from a mug of what Qrow guessed was coffee. "That's what they all say, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Qrow mumbled. There was an beeping sound that broke through the quiet which told them that someone had arrived. That meant that either James or Glynda was there, and Qrow couldn't guess which it would be. "Someone's at the door."

Ozpin let out a quiet enough chuckle that Qrow didn't quite know what to make of it. They shifted slightly and pressed a button on the desk that was near Qrow's right foot, and the door to the elevator opened before its two occupants streamed into the room, one after the other.

The first was Glynda, looking a little bit more than just frustrated with things, and she was followed after by James, who looked equally annoyed but hid it better behind a face that might as well have been made of stone.

"Ozpin." Glynda said, standing at the side of the desk with her arms crossed. "You know that there is-"

"Yes, Glynda." Ozpin responded with a quiet sigh. "It seems to be getting closer." They turned in their seat to face the two new people in the room. James was mostly silent, and leaned against the desk next to Qrow.

"And what are you going to do about it?" James asked, raising his voice just slightly. "The number of hunters left that are still able to deal with one of that size are dwindling already." He let out a quiet sigh. "You're endangering your people the longer that it's able to be there."

Ozpin shook their head and raised up to their feet so that they could walk over towards the window. Almost on cue, everyone else in the room got up and walked up towards the window as well, all four of them watching the behemoth on the horizon. In theory, between the four of them they would be able to find the best way to have it handled.

But Qrow knew better than to think that this was going to be dealt with easily.

It had been about twelve years since the world had gone all topsy-turvy and it had become hard to figure out what they were even doing. In those years, everyone that had been strong enough to deal with a grimm of that size had either gotten old and retired or half-retired like Qrow had, or they'd ended up getting killed in the final battles before the grimm had just _stopped_.

Before the grimm had turned into giants like that thing.

As for who was strong enough to deal with that now... Well, it wasn't that easy to figure out. Students were only so good, they could only do so much. People wanting to become hunters were dwindling rapid across the remaining kingdoms as well as out in Menagerie, and the ones that did...

Well, they said that it was best to fear the old in professions where most died young. There was a reason for that.

"We could arrange a group of hunters to go out there." James said, his voice low in volume and almost sounding nervous to have made the suggestion. "If we send enough, numbers alone could be enough to overwhelm it."

"It's risky." Glynda replied. "Students can only do so much, even _with_ experienced hunters at their sides."

"So we send some kids," Qrow said, leaning back in his seat. "I wouldn't mind tagging along." He swallowed, hoping that nobody was going to realize what he was actually saying in that moment which was mostly that he was willing to go out in case someone needed their life saved.

Which wasn't necessarily likely, but it was something. It was the very least that Qrow could do. He still had a weapon at home that he could bring out should he need it. He could still do just about anything if he needed to.

All that had changed was that he'd slowed down and didn't pack as hard of a punch as he did in his younger days. That didn't mean that he had lost his ability to fight. He was still in once piece, after all.

"We should be cautious." Ozpin spoke up finally, leaning on their cane and watching the grimm stop where it was moving in the distance. It seemed to lift something up with a large, halfway armored hand and inspect it. Qrow blinked. That wasn't good, not normal. Usually the grimm that travelled out in the forests of that size simply looked to feed once in a blue moon.

Not learn.

"Of course." James answered Ozpin. "Going forward without caution would almost assuredly guarantee casualties."

"Even with caution we're most likely going to see casualties, James." Glynda retorted, shooting the man a glare of sorts that could only be described as unrelenting. "That's how things are these days."

Ozpin hummed quietly and leaned against their cane, watching and waiting, the same way that the Grimm on the horizon did. Qrow didn't know what they were looking for, but he also figured that it was for the best if he stayed off to the side and just let Ozpin do their thing.

After all, Ozpin had never brought them in the wrong direction in the past.

And even if Ozpin had led them astray a few times, it had never been something severe enough that Qrow had ever lost faith in them for it. Always there were words and comforts that were able to pick him up at the end. Every misstep was just a step off of the right path.

But when everyone in that room heard the sound of Ozpin's hum, they all might as well have fallen to attention because there wasn't a single one of them that didn't think that Oz was about to pass down an order of sorts about how to handle this. Of course, Qrow knew that whatever Ozpin ended up suggesting was probably going to come with some pushback, but that had to be expected.

After all, Ozpin and James seemed to argue over _everything_ when it came to policy and tactics. It was just one of those things that Qrow had learned long ago and had decided not to read into too much. James liked direct action, and Ozpin liked to sit, wait, and watch until the time came.

Disagreements were only natural when that was brought into consideration. The stakes were high- it was good that they argued so much.

"I believe," Ozpin began, "that our best course of action is to wait and keep a close eye on this situation." They turned to face the other three, their back now facing the window and the giant grimm that lingered on the horizon. "If it continues to draw closer, then we will be sure to ensure that a group of hunters is put together to take it down. If it does not, we stay the course and continue with life as usual."

"But Ozpin-" James started, taking a tiny half-step forward that ultimately brought him nowhere. "If we do that then-"

"Any concern that the people feel will be assuaged if they see that the situation isn't severe enough to send Hunters into the field to deal with it." Ozpin cut James off before he could continue his protest any more. "I assure all of you, this is no great deal for concern." They sipped from their mug of coffee. "These things happen all the time."

Glynda sighed heavily and brushed some of her blonde hair out of her face before crossing her arms. "I suppose that you want for me to continue training the students as usual?"

"You presume correctly." Ozpin's eyes fell onto Qrow now. "Qrow, if you could use your abilities to get close to the beast and ensure that it isn't getting that much closer to the village, that would be ideal."

Qrow looked out at the grimm and thought hard about Ozpin's suggestion. Normally he didn't like having to fly much these days, but if this is what he was going to have to do in order to support the cause, then he was happy to do that. After all, it meant that he was going to be able to keep the closest eye on things and be the first to report when something went wrong.

The fact that Qrow thought of it as a matter of _"when"_ rather than _"if"_ said a lot about how these sorts of things made him feel, truths be told.

"Got it." He said, stepping forward towards the window and watching the great beast. "I can do two patrols a day. One in the morning and one at night, just to track any changes."

"That would be excellent." Ozpin responded. Qrow blinked, since that meant that he was going to have his work to do, but it wasn't going to be the worst thing that he'd ever done. After all, it wasn't as though he hadn't been a hunter back when the world was still crawling with grimm at every corner rather than the rare behemoths that now wandered Remnant.

He'd dealt with packs of beowulves and dens of ursae, he could deal with flying evasively around a giant monster. In the grand scheme of things, it was the equivalent of checking the mail since Grimm didn't tend to go after animals. To a grimm, a crow was just a crow.

But that left one person unaccounted for in the grand scheme of things, Qrow thought to himself as his gaze strayed over to where James was standing and looking a little too stiff for his own good. But of course, that was more or less James Ironwood's default state. He didn't know how to have fun anymore.

But of course, it wasn't like there wasn't a good reason for him being that way, Qrow reminded himself.

"And what would you like me to do?" James asked, his voice entirely too calm despite the fact that Qrow was sure that deep down the guy was probably boiling with anger and a thousand other things that he wouldn't dare voice, as James had been brought up in the old Atlesian way where feelings tended to be held as taboo at best.

The Great War had done a lot of things to people, and secretly, Qrow knew that Atlas' people had probably been the one to suffer the most for it.

That was just one of the world's dirty secrets.

"James," Ozpin spoke, turning slightly. "I would advise that you maintain your course of action." They paused. "Of course, I doubt that your specialists have been failing you as far as intelligence goes?"

"They continue to submit their reports." James responded, his jaw a little too tight. "I'll be on the watch for any abnormalities."

Ozpin nodded and looked amongst the three of them, and for a moment Qrow wondered whether they were going to be banished off to spend the rest of their nights to their own devices or not. Nothing really would have surprised him all that much at that point.

If their plan was to do nothing until the monster made the first move, then Qrow suspected that the next little bit was going to be boring work. At least, it would be assuming that the beast didn't get any closer to them than it already was and throw everything off.

But as Qrow watched that grimm out on the horizon, he couldn't help the feeling of uneasiness that came with it. It was a thing that had been long trained into him, to the point where he could never forget it. You never trusted in anything when there was a grimm in sight.

He mostly just prayed that the damn thing didn't end up trying to get close, for their sakes.

* * *

"You see those things, don't you?"

Hazel rolled his eyes at the sound of his partner's voice, not wanting to pay that much attention to Arthur. The two of them were currently staying in a ruined church that had been left behind following the destruction of Hinagiku village, where they were now staying. Neither of them knew how long this place had been left in ruin, but it was a shelter that they could use for a night or two if they needed it.

"I do." Hazel grumbled, leaning against the wall at the broken window and watching as a flock of grimm flew in front of the moon. Their dark forms were nothing like the animals that populated the world. These were like giant monkeys, wearing bat wings on their backs.

Hazel was sure he'd seen one up close, once upon a time.

But now, watching them in front of the broken white moon in the sky, it was different. It was almost terrifying, and he couldn't quite make himself think that it was going to be okay. Even now, when the grimm seemed more interested in merely existing than attacking, Hazel always held that fear in the back of mind that they were going to come.

It was one of those things that wasn't going to ever be able to leave him. He'd seen enough wreckage brought on by the beasts in his days. Enough bodies.

"Ghastly things, aren't they?" Arthur leaned against the other side of the wall, crossing his arms over his chest and looking over at Hazel. "Do you think we're close?"

Hazel thought hard. He wanted to reach into his pocket and find his map so that he could give an actual answer to that question but Hazel also knew better. The place that they were looking for wasn't on any map, but rather it was informed by rumors and stories that would theoretically get them to their target.

"I don't know." He finally grumbled. "Where is Tyrian?"

"Hunting, I would presume." Arthur mumbled. "I must say, I don't like travelling with some sort of fanatic-"

Hazel shot Arthur a look that would have theoretically been enough to make him be quiet, but he also knew better than to fight Arthur too much on things. Arguing wasn't worth the breath, seeing as Arthur was too headstrong for his own good.

"You know there's a reason he's that way." Hazel said as he seated himself against the wall. "We're doing this for a reason."

"But of course." Arthur rolled his eyes, sliding down against the wall so that he rested on top of his bedroll. "I just wish we could travel with someone a bit less _barbaric_."

Hazel shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. He was going to need to sleep sometime as well, especially if they were supposed to be finding a sea of black from where the grimm were supposed to be born.

Years ago, he wouldn't have even considered doing something like this. He used to be a huntsman, keeping a righteous path until he'd realized that something was wrong, and that something needed to be stopped. Action was something that had needed to be taken, and now he was looking for the next chance that he could go ahead and act.

He didn't know whether or not Arthur was the same way. It was one of those things that they hadn't talked about much- how they ended up in this sort of life. Hazel knew fully well that the two of them both had something in common that had brought them together as they were now, but it wasn't worth talking about.

After all, they knew everything about each other that was worth talking about.

Though, it wasn't to say that it was just the two of them alone.

There was the sound of someone coming up the stairs, and that was how they knew that their third companion, a strange man by the name of Tyrian had made it back to the church that they were using as shelter.

"And so he returns." Arthur commented as he reached into his jacket to find a small leather-bound book that they had been using as a dossier of sorts when the traveled. "I suspect you found nothing useful out there?"

Tyrian stopped dead at the top of the stairs and his yellow eyes flicked between the two of them. Hazel shot Arthur a look to try and quiet him, but he knew fully well that it wasn't going to do anything. "I-" Tyrian hesitated and his eyes seemed to drop as he stepped forward before taking his seat in the gravel-filled corner that he'd 'claimed' as his own for the night. "No, I didn't."

"That's no surprise." Arthur replied, flipping the page on his dossier. "You know, if you stayed out much longer, I'm sure that the-"

" _Arthur_." Hazel raised his voice just enough that he was able to really grab Arthur's attention for a little while and hopefully distract him away from harassing the thin man over in the corner. "It's fine."

In the corner, Tyrian laid on the bare wooden floor and curled up, a long tail unwrapping from around him for just a moment. Hazel could almost sense the way that Arthur rolled his eyes, and sighed before leaning his head back against the wall behind him. "We're moving out in the morning."

"You think we'll find it?"

Hazel looked to Tyrian, realizing that the man was watching the grimm as they flew in front of the moon.

"I think we're close."

"And once we find it?" Tyrian spoke up now, shifting slightly in his spot and letting his tail wind up around him. "Will we-"

"I don't know." Hazel responded, feeling an old injury on his chest beginning to flare up and engulf him. It was a burning feeling, like his body was somehow craving something that he was never going to be able to find or take comfort in. He'd been feeling those pains on and off for the last thirteen years or so, and they never wanted to _stop_. Some nights it was worse than others.

Tonight, it felt like the run of the mill sort of pains that he was used to. The sort of pain that was meant to remind him of something.

"Well," Arthur spoke up now, idly rubbing at the back of his neck. "We have to prepare to move in the morning, seeing as we're supposed to be finding a spawning pool."

Tyrian shifted, sitting up now and letting his tail flick out behind him. He seemed to be watching in great interest, and for a moment Hazel reminded himself that the responsible thing for them to do would be to explain to Tyrian what they were supposed to expect.

"We shouldn't have any trouble assuming we find it." Hazel grumbled, pressing a hand to his chest in hopes that he might be able to make some of his pains subside. "We're protected."

"Yes, I suppose that is what we're assuming." Arthur deadpanned, flipping another page in his dossier with a bored expression on his face as he tried to find something there. "Never mind the fact that the grimm don't even get as aggressive as they used to." The man closed his book and set it down on the floor beside him. "So yes, I suppose we're protected."

"But what happens once we find it?" Tyrian asked, keeping his voice mostly quiet and shifting nervously. "Will She-" The man shifted again, rubbing at his bandaged left arm and wincing.

Hazel groaned and laid down, resting one of his arms behind his head and trying to make himself comfortable on the floor. "We don't know." He said as plainly as he could manage.

"It's what one could call a small goal, Tyrian." Arthur replied, also lying down himself. "You should rest, the last thing that any of us will need tomorrow is for you to keep us from getting things done and dragging us down."

Hazel closed his eyes and tried not to grit his teeth. This was just part of what he had to deal with, he knew that. This was just one thing along a path. "He's right." he grumbled finally. "Go to sleep."

He heard the sound of Tyrian shifting and trying to lay down in his corner, and the sound of his tossing and turning in an attempt to force himself to sleep. All three of them were ready to rest, and that was what was important. They were all in one place, and as far as they knew, they were safe.

If they needed to get up and fight, then all three of them would be able to do that.

But for now, what was important to rest.

Hazel closed his eyes and took deep breath after deep breath as he tried to calm himself and ignore the pain in his chest until he finally managed to fall asleep and hopefully dream of nothing.


	2. Destiny

_A black pool of liquid, surrounded by crystals of Dust stood against an empty landscape. It was both menacing and shockingly beautiful, the crystals of Dust shining violent purple against its waters._

 _Silently, a girl approached, afraid but also curious. It was almost like she'd been lured into a trap of sorts._

 _As she drew closer, the black liquid began to disturb itself. Small waves formed from nothing, moving and shifting and taking shape in a form of a woman that looked like almost exactly like her, but not quite._

 _The two of them had the same face, the same noses and mouths. But her doppelganger stared back at her with her burning red eyes, and a smile that strayed somewhere between beautiful and terrifying._

The woman reached a hand out for a young girl, and opened her mouth to whisper something to her that couldn't be understood.

The girl accepted the offer. She reached out for the woman, and when their hands touched, and the girl watched as her skin began to change to a porcelain white.

The girl woke up in a cold sweat with a violent jolt.

Cinder sucked in deep breath after deep breath, and tried not to let herself drown in the feeling of fear that gripped her. It didn't relent, and so Cinder had to remind herself over and over that it was just a dream. She blinked wearily, casting her gaze around the small area that she'd taken as a shelter for the night.

The sky had been dyed pink by the rising sun.

That alone told Cinder that she needed to get up, and get ready to leave. Perhaps the sooner that happened, she'd be able to forget her nightmare, vivid as it had been.

No matter how many times Cinder told herself that it had been just a dream, it wasn't enough. She just wasn't able to shake that fear that seemed to have wormed its way into her bones.

But she couldn't let herself sit around being afraid. That was dangerous, regardless of what lurked in the forests. Cinder knew better than to stay out in the woods for too long. There were too many threats. Whether those threats were bandits or animals, or something much more monstrous didn't matter. Staying there in her camp for any longer than she needed to was dangerous, regardless of the fact that she was armed to the teeth and more than capable of fighting.

But Cinder also knew when it was time to back down from a fight. She knew better than to think that she could beat one of the creatures of grimm, or to think that she could fend off a tribe of bandits.

An animal or two was manageable enough, but much more than that and she would have seen disaster.

More than a few bandits and she would be sure to fall.

As for the creatures of Grimm, Cinder could only remember the days of her early childhood when they had been different. She remembered how they used to be, much more plentiful than they were now. Beyond that, her memory was spotty. She'd never fought the grimm before they'd changed.

It left her with an incomplete memory of the monsters. Everything else was informed by rumors and education.

Cinder really wasn't sure how much of what people said about the grimm. People claimed that the world had changed so much, but days still turned to nights and people still thrived, though it was a difficult existence. But if what people said was to be believed, Cinder figured that it might have just been more of the norm.

As Cinder understood it, the threats hadn't changed, just the quantity of them had.

A shiver ran down her spine as she began to cover over the space where all of the wood had burned away from the fire that she'd lit the night before to keep her warm. That dream had been unlike anything that she'd ever experienced, and Cinder still didn't quite know what to make of it.

She remembered hearing an old wives' tale somewhere that said that dreams could have meaning, but at the time she hadn't believed it.

Now, as the thought back to the way that she had stared at a twisted mirror of herself, Cinder couldn't help the feeling of dread that overtook her. It was the sort of image that she knew she wasn't going to be able to get out of her head, but that didn't matter. She needed to get up and get going, if only because she wanted to get to the next town before nightfall.

The truth of the matter was that Cinder had been travelling for a long time, always in search of something that she was sure that she wasn't going to be able to find so easily. That was just a part of her life these days, after having spent years at Haven Academy to find that nothing was working out for her. She hadn't found a purpose there, so now she seeked one on her own.

There was just a constant feeling that there was simply something missing in her life, and she didn't quite know what it was. Maybe it had to do with the fact that at Haven she was a high performer but was never allowed to do anything with it.

That was the biggest problem that she'd had.

Despite her performance as a student, she wasn't able to do anything. Threats could linger near villages, but she'd never be able to go and help address them. Instead, she was kept close to the kingdom along with every other student as they waited for one of the giant grimm that wandered the landscape to get too close.

But they never did, and so staying at Haven just left Cinder feeling useless.

There was a reason that she'd left.

Now she mostly just wandered in search of something better. From time to time she would run into people that didn't mind having someone travel with them. Cinder would travel with those people for a little while, and when it was her time to leave, Cinder would. It was all based on instinct, for the most part.

There was always a feeling that there was something pulling her along a path, but Cinder didn't know what.

Destiny, maybe.

She didn't want to think about what that could mean in the grand scheme of things though. If she was being pulled towards something for a reason, she had no idea what it was and that scared her on some level.

Another shiver ran up her spine when her mind flashed back to her dream.

Nightmare, Cinder corrected herself.

She didn't like how thinking about that dream had been enough to make her blood run cold and leave her feeling like the single best thing that she could do was run away for the sake of her own safety.

Not that she really knew where she was running to anymore.

With her campsite finally cleared out, Cinder was ready to continue on her path. She picked up the small bag that she was carrying with her and walked towards the edge of the clearing so that she would be able to peer over the canopies of the trees above her and get an idea of how she was doing.

The sun had risen high in the sky, and she guessed correctly, it was only about eight in the morning now, which meant that she had plenty of time to travel. More worrying, the clouds were dark, and so Cinder was sure that she was going to have to find some sort of shelter later on.

It was possible that Cinder would need to cut her journey short that day, depending on when the storm came.

Her semblance could only keep her warm for so long, after all. She could only fuel it with her aura for a certain amount of time before it failed and she was left out in the cold.

And besides, Cinder didn't want to be travelling in the rain anyhow. The muck wasn't worth the effort, and Cinder didn't want to waste her time getting bogged down when she would be better off resting.

Cinder reached into her pack and removed a map, old and worn as it was, with small notes about the places that she'd been as well as the places that she hadn't been yet. A lot of those notes were rumors more than anything else, but Cinder didn't care.

There was a small percentage that would turn out to have some basis in fact.

Whether most of those rumors were reliable or not didn't matter, though- it suggested something that she would have to look forward to or worry about.

As things stood, she was on a path that should have led to a village named Hinagiku. She didn't know much about it, just that a traveler that she'd had a run in with had claimed that it was left abandoned about a decade before. There was no explanation for _why_ it was abandoned, just that there was a story that it Hinagiku village had been cursed.

Apparently the village had fallen a few times before the settlers had finally given up on it.

Cinder didn't know whether she believed in curses. In all likelihood, the village had been founded in a poor location and had paid for that several times over. That didn't matter though- Cinder needed a place to stay for a night.

In Hinagiku, she was sure that was going to find a place to rest and hide from the rain.

But that was going to be a problem for later, Cinder knew.

For now, she was mostly concerned with how far her feet could carry her.

* * *

Weiss turned uneasily and peered out the window of her father's airship. She was almost hoping that she would find something out in the skies that would be able to take her away from the ship, but Weiss also was sure that was impossible.

Presently, she was halfway through a flight out of Atlas towards Vale, their neighboring kingdom directly to the south. She was accompanying her father and younger brother to Beacon Academy, where he had arranged a number of meetings. It was where the General was currently staying, and her father claimed that there was money in aiding the academy.

It looked good for the company if they had a hand in training warriors, regardless of how much of a role her father's company played. To Weiss' knowledge, there were partnerships between the company and all four of the academies.

Right now, her father's eye was on Beacon Academy.

It wasn't his favorite of the four academies. According to her father, Beacon Academy was a place of the disgraces of the hunting world. According to her father, Beacon was mostly useless, and the academy had been nearly leveled along with most of Vale many years ago.

He always boasted that such a thing never would have been allowed in Atlas.

Weiss didn't know how much she could trust most of her father's words. Even despite his many stories and frustrations regarding Beacon and Vale, he was always willing to come south to make trade deals.

The supposed end of civilization as they knew it hadn't slowed down a need for Dust. The world still craved that fuel, even when the supplies seemed to be drying out. The shortage was something that had impacted industry, the military, and ammunition supplies alike.

And it had all started thirteen years ago, when Weiss had been a young girl. She'd gotten used to seeing her father's back, as he got more and more involved in maintaining the Schnee monopoly on Dust.

That wasn't to say that Weiss was sure that she believed every word that her father said regarding the family business.

With regards to the family mines, Weiss was sure that the supply of Dust drying up had more to do with overmining than some sort of cataclysm, but she didn't dare voice such an opinion. Weiss knew that she would only see ridicule for it from her father.

Weiss supposed that her older sister Winter would agree with her, but as things stood Winter was a pariah amongst the Schnee Family, even on good days.

Weiss resented her parents for Winter's exile.

Maybe if she at least knew what had happened to her sister over the last two or three years, it would be different. When Winter had left ( _betrayed them,_ her father had said) that had been the last contact that any of them had with her. To Weiss' best knowledge, Winter was somehow involved in the Atlesian Military as one of the few Specialists left, but that was about all that she knew.

One day she would find her sister again, Weiss hoped.

Weiss stared out the window and watched the clouds pass them by, along with the occasional bird. It wasn't interesting. In fact, she was sure that this entire trip was going to be entirely uninteresting, with herself and Whitley being there mostly so that their father could show off his trophy children to the people of Vale.

Nobody who knew her father would think that he was below using them as bargaining chips.

Weiss resented it, but if she was going to be the one to start fixing her father's company, she needed to go through these sorts of rituals, as painful as they tended to be. This was necessary, _demanded_ of an heiress like herself. Weiss knew that, and so she went along with it, despite how much she disliked her father and his business practices.

Deep down, Weiss wanted to stay there in Beacon Academy, just like she'd dreamed as a little girl listening to Klein's stories about heroes and monsters that were meant to make her feel better about the world. She wasn't going to let herself think that she could stay there realistically for a second. But Weiss could dream all she wanted.

After all, academies like Beacon and Atlas only took the best fighters of the best, and Weiss was fairly certain that she didn't fit in that category. She'd learned to fight and use her family's semblance to some extent. Winter had been sure to give her that sort of training in the background and out of their parent's eyes. Despite all of that, Weiss was sure that it wasn't enough for her to enter one of the academies.

Even now, Weiss had a rapier tucked away in her luggage that she could use should something end up going wrong. Weiss didn't realistically think that she would need it on a simple business trip, but she couldn't be sure. She could still pack the weapon away and imagine different scenarios, though.

If something happened, she'd been prepared.

Apparently the end of civilization meant that everything was unpredictable, so nothing was really _impossible_.

One couldn't even rely on a ship to land in the right place, apparently.

At least, that was the rant that her father was currently reciting to Whitley, who listened along attentively like he was actually going to learn something from one of their father's rants. He wouldn't, there never was anything to learn from his rants. Jacques Schnee ranted for one reason and one reason alone, and that was to be heard.

Weiss knew that better than everyone.

Throughout the flight, Weiss had decided to sit back and be quiet, because at least that way she couldn't come under her father's scrutiny. She couldn't become the target of his frustrations, and that meant that she was safe from most of the things that she feared. She'd seen enough and heard enough of her father's treatment of her mother and Winter to know not to cross him.

She hadn't fallen victim to any of the physical punishment yet, but she'd been pulled and tugged in so many directions mentally by her father that sometimes she couldn't help but wonder what decisions she actually made for herself.

It was only slightly troubling to think about.

"Weiss." Whitley spoke up, focusing his eyes- _their father's eyes_ onto her and smiling. "Father says that we're supposed to be landing in Vale soon." He leaned back into his seat, crossing one leg over the other. "I suppose that we should be preparing to leave a good impression."

Weiss blinked, thinking fast to give a reaction and plastering the fake half-smile that she usually needed when it came to these things. "Yes," She smiled, nodding just slightly. "Of course." She looked between her father and Whitley. "Is there anything in particular that we should be preparing for?"

Her father stared down at her with a certain sort of coldness that Weiss had never quite gotten used to seeing. "Yes." He responded, reaching up so that he could adjust his tie and make himself look more proper. "You should both be preparing to make an appearance, but also to stay out of the way. We'll be in contact with some very important people, and I don't need either of you making an embarrassment of our family."

"Of course, father." Whitley interjected, sounding entirely too confident about the situation at hand and entirely too comfortable with all things considered. Weiss did her best to mirror him, smiling and nodding along.

But her father just let out a quiet sigh and rolled his eyes before leaning back into his seat and letting his eyes slip shut. "You two should be ready for arrival. There should be an hour left of the flight."

"Yes, father." Weiss spoke up, looking down at herself and just smoothing down her dress so that she looked a little bit more presentable.

Soon the flight would end, and after that, she was going to have plenty to do, though mostly it was going to be a matter of staying out of the way. Being seen but not heard tended to be surprisingly tiring work. Because of that, Weiss she was going to do her best to relax while she still could.

Everything else could come later on.

* * *

Blake's chest heaved as she sat up in the treetops, watching as a copy of herself sprinted down the forest path below, surrounded by a sea of red that reminded her too strongly of blood. There was a sweetness in the air that hung over her, which mingled with the coppery scent of Blake's own blood.

She watched herself run down that path, like it was the only thing that mattered in her entire life. There was a turn up ahead, and the clone would take it there.

It wouldn't matter.

After all, this was merely a diversion, and Blake needed to do whatever she could to survive. The clone was only there so that she could protect herself. It would run until it faded away to nothingness.

If Blake needed to, she could strain herself and send another copy of herself running down that road again. However, she knew that this could only go for so long before-

The girl was broken out of her own thoughts by the sound of someone moving around in the underbrush. Blake froze almost completely, crouched as low as she could manage on her perch for no reason other than to avoid being seen. She needed to do what she could to stay alive, after all.

This was a part of it. Not something that she would have liked to do, but it was what she needed to do, and so she did it.

Blake was injured. If she got seen, she was sure that she wasn't going to be able to fight anyone off.

Other people came into view, one by one.

First, a girl with long red hair, charging ahead after the clone of Blake, and then after two men. One, impossibly tall and lumbering, carrying a chainsword so large that it could dwarf Blake. Beside him, a man, thin, handsome, and with burning red hair that came adorned with a set of horns that had been sharpened over and over again into something that could be deadly should the man wanted them to be.

All three of them wore masks. The girl with the red hair quickly dipped out of sight, which was something that Blake was grateful for, but the others lingered, still below where she was hiding.

If Blake could have done anything to stop herself from breathing, she would have. She could take comfort in the fact that there wasn't wind that day, but it wasn't much. There was no comfort when it came to these men.

Her torn right ear could tell her that.

"We'll find her, Sir." The larger man said, turning to the other.

"Good." The thinner one- Adam Taurus, his name was, turned to face him and nodded silently. The hulking man seemed to take that as an order and followed ahead after the girl and that left Blake sitting there, up in the trees, with Adam standing in the clearing below her.

Blake felt the bough below her move, and heard the sound of leaves almost immediately sprung to action, his hand going to his sword at his side and him dropping into a position so that he could attack at even the slightest provocation.

 _Had he heard her?_

A large black bird emerged from the trees on the other side of the path, ignorant to what was happening. Blake watched it, just the same as Adam did. The man seemed to relax slightly, though it was only just. His hand pulled away from the blade and he just watched the clearing again.

For a second, Blake was sure that the man was staring at her, but if that was the case, he would have attacked. He would have shouted, he would have done anything to get her attention and the attention of the others as well.

Adam said nothing, only turned and continued down his path and ultimately left Blake alone there in the treetops with nothing more than her name, a weapon, and the clothes on her back.

She wasn't safe.

She was never safe.

She needed to run.

She needed to run, and never turn back.

She couldn't do that until she was absolutely sure that Adam and the others were gone, and even then…

If Blake ran, she didn't know where she could really go. There was always home, but that was too dangerous right now. Blake couldn't risk being seen. Surely there was somewhere that she would be able to go and feel safe, even if it was only for a little while.

Adam and the others would follow her clone until it either disappeared, or they lost its trail. That gave her a little bit of time to run, but that was hard, with her injured as she was now. Blake's aura had broken a while ago, and nothing would be enough to make her ignore the burn in her muscles, or the constant throbbing pain stretching out from her right ear, or the fact that she wanted nothing more than to break down and cry but she couldn't allow herself that luxury.

It wasn't safe enough.

She was never safe enough.

Blake sat there in that treetop for what almost felt like an eternity, and when she finally mustered the courage to climb down from the perch, she did so as silently as she was able to manage before turning down the same path from which she'd come.

There was enough space between her and Adam that she could avoid the group that hunted her, at least for a little while. She'd be able to find a place to rest somewhere, and then she'd have to pray that she didn't end up crossing paths with Adam again.

Blake would also have to pray that she didn't end up crossing paths with less human monsters as well, but somehow that felt like less of a concern. Despite everything that she knew and that she'd heard about the creatures of Grimm, they scared her less than the men that chose to bear their faces.

Somehow the monsters would never be as terrifying as them, despite the fact that the monsters towered over the world.

Blake stuck to the path and unsheathed her sword as she walked. She needed to be ready to defend herself the second that something that anything appeared to come after her. If she needed, she could make another clone and hide in the trees or the bushes again, but that wasn't what she wanted to do.

With all things considered, it didn't take long for Blake to realize that she didn't know where she was or how long she'd been travelling. She stopped at a crossroads and was presented with a choice of two roads.

One, to a ruined city that Blake had never been to. The other, to another ruined city that Blake had been to, but never wanted to go back to.

She chose the uncertain path, and took a deep breath. Blake took two or three steps back away from where she was standing before activating her semblance and jumping away from the clone that was left behind to take the other path.

It wouldn't last long, but if someone that was looking for her saw the clone, they would follow after it. At this point, using her semblance was difficult and draining, but she had to do it.

Blake needed safety, and maybe she could find that out in Vale.

That was the probably one thing that she could hope for.


	3. Resting Places

"Dad, we're home!" Yang called into the relatively small house that she and Ruby had lived in all their lives.

She was tired after a long day of classes and training, and there were few things Yang wanted more than her father's home cooking and to go to bed and just relax. After all, she needed to be rested before she went to Beacon come morning. Everyone that went through those doors did.

"Yeah!" Ruby called in, trailing after her older sister before she closed the door behind her. There was a quiet barking sound, which meant that the family dog Zwei had picked up on their presence, at the very least.

Yang didn't think much of it, as the dog came up, jumping at her and Ruby's legs only to get scooped up into Ruby's arms.

The blonde could hear the sound of something being moved around in the kitchen, and the scent of chicken wafted on the air. That meant that they had gotten home just in time for dinner, Yang figured. She took the moment at the door to slip out of her boots, leaning against the wall with an outstretched right arm.

"In the kitchen!" Taiyang called back to them. He didn't bother to leave the kitchen.

Ruby was out of her shoes first and she rushed back to the kitchen to follow through a sort of routine that they'd built over the course of their entire lives. Ruby was going to go back to the kitchen to see dad, then she was going to get to enjoy a chocolate chip cookie and a glass of milk, and then once Yang joined them the three of them would sit down and just talk.

Normal family stuff.

Yang treasured it, despite the fact that sometimes it felt like there was something missing. That wasn't a coincidence. Yang _knew_ for a fact that there was something missing, but that was just their family. What was missing didn't matter that much, though. Yang still loved her sister and her father, regardless of everything, and when their often transient uncle Qrow dropped in, he was usually welcomed with open arms.

All in all, aside from a missing piece or two, things worked out.

When she was finally out of her boots, Yang made her way back to the kitchen, tying her hair up into a high ponytail on the way back so that she could finally relax. When she got there, she saw that Ruby had taken her seat and was waiting on a glass of milk which Taiyang was taking his time to pour.

Yang hopped up into her own seat and leaned forward and rested her hands on the table. "Hey dad."

Taiyang turned around, with a glass of milk in hand which he set in front of Ruby before looking Yang up and down really quick- old habit, Yang knew. He'd started doing it when he and Ruby were kids, always to make sure that neither of the came home injured, and old habits died hard.

"Hey." He said, smiling widely. "Dinner's going to be ready soon." Taiyang shrugged slightly and smiled widely at the two of them. "You want something to drink?"

"Hot chocolate sounds nice." Yang answered, grinning across at her father. "You know how I like it."

Sure enough, Taiyang let out a quiet laugh and turned to the cabinets so that he could get some of the hot chocolate mix and a small jar of powdered pepper. That was one of the things that she'd inherited from their father, she liked all things spicy and they both took a lot of pride in it.

In a way, Yang loved her father just as much as she resented him at times. She _knew_ that things tended to be hard on him, and they had been for a long time, ever since she and Ruby were really young.

Their uncle Qrow had stepped in for a little while, just to keep things functioning while Taiyang had shut down.

It had made their childhoods hard, but now Yang was mostly just glad to have her father there again and actually taking care of her and Ruby. The fact that they were teenages and could mostly care for themselves didn't matter that much. It was about the act, less about whether they needed him.

"So,' Taiyang said, smiling back at her and Ruby over his shoulder as he began to heat up some milk so that he could make Yang's hot chocolate. "Why don't you two tell me about how things were up at the academy. Your uncle get fired yet?"

Yang blinked and looked down at the counter in front of her, hoping to find a good answer that was actually interesting. Nothing came to mind. "Pretty normal day today." She said, leaning forward and shrugging slightly. "Didn't really see uncle Qrow at all. You know he doesn't actually work there, right?"

"Yeah, but he was in a meeting with Professor Ozpin or something." Ruby piped up, her eyes all bright as she broke apart her cookie and offered Yang part of it. "Professor Goodwitch was busy so we didn't have combat class today."

"Well, that's no good." Taiyang answered quietly. "Yard's open if you guys feel the need."

"I think we're fine with a day off." Yang mumbled. "We ended up taking _two_ history classes today to make up for it."

"I'm sure Bart loved that." Taiyang laughed quietly as he stirred the pot beside him, watching the liquid inside carefully. "Either way, I'm glad that you two are doing okay." He smiled softly across at them, and it reminded Yang again of how happy she was to have her family so close. She knew plenty of people up at the academy that didn't have that luxury. "I made chicken for dinner."

"Don't burn it." Ruby said, leaning forward in her seat as well, almost like she was mirroring Yang. Her silver eyes stared down at the counter in front of her for a moment before she spoke up. "Hey, so dad?"

Yang blinked. She had a feeling that she knew what Ruby was about to ask about, but she didn't think that it was going to mean much. It probably had to do with that Grimm that the two of them had been watching from Beacon tower, but Yang doubted that Taiyang was going to have much to say about it. Of course, there was always a goliath in the room when it came to the monsters, but nobody wanted to breach it, and with good reason.

"What is it, kiddo?"

"Did you notice that Grimm?" Ruby looked to the window, knowing that they would probably be able to see it out the kitchen window. Taiyang furrowed his brow for a moment before stepping away from the stove so that he could go to the window and look.

He watched something outside for a moment before looking back over at Ruby and Yang. "Yeah," he answered. "Noticed when I took Zwei out earlier. What about it?"

"Well," Ruby shifted uneasily in her seat, and Yang almost wanted to roll her eyes over everything, but she didn't want to bring it up and make things weird or more awkward. After all, they all had to worry about that sort of thing, that was true for everyone at the academy and everyone that had ever been to the academy. Even their father, having retired, still had to worry about that sort of thing. "It looks like it got closer to the city."

"Yeah, it does." Taiyang answered. "I figure you're going to have a lot of lessons about how to take that thing down pretty soon." Another shrug. "Your uncle might swing by wanting me to help him out. Depends on what Ozpin wants."

"Do you think we're going to be able to go out and fight it?" Yang spoke up now, figuring that it was probably for the best if she joined in on the conversation, since she was theoretically going to be involved in taking the grimm down when the time came. _If_ the time came. If Ozpin thought that students were worth having involved in it.

Taiyang shrugged, picking up the pot once he was sure that the hot chocolate inside was ready before pouring it into Yang's favorite mug and sliding it to her. Yang smiled and picked it up, taking a sip from the drink and letting the warmth sink down into her bones and relaxing. It was wonderful, an old comfort that always seemed to be there once she got to come home.

Taiyang spoke up finally. "I think you might have a chance at it." He said looking between the two of them. "You're both talented huntresses, I hear it from your teachers all the time." All at once, Yang watched the way that there was some sadness that washed over his face. She swallowed hard, hoping that nobody was going to go ahead and try to question it too deeply.

If Taiyang didn't notice that she knew what was going through his head, it meant that they were going to have less to worry about in the long run.

At least, that was what Yang hoped.

"I'm proud of you both." Taiyang spoke up, putting on a forced smile that Yang was able to see through all too easily. "No matter what, I'm proud of both of you."

"I mean," Ruby grinned a little bit too widely. "We're pretty much the best."

"You are the best." Taiyang laughed, turning around so that he could get something out of the oven so that the three of them would have something to have for dinner that night. "And I wouldn't trade either of you for the world. I just hope that if you two end up going out on that mission-" Taiyang set a glass dish down on the stovetop in front of him before closing the oven and turning it off. "You both come back to me safe and sound."

Yang smirked and shook her head. "We'll do our best."

"I know." Taiyang answered, smiling at her with his eyes all soft and all of the gentleness seeming to flow back into his body all at once. "You two have never let me down before."

Ruby shifted in a way that spoke to pure excitement running throughout her entire body. "Well, if we get to go out there and fight it, me and Yang are going to take it down!" She mimicked holding Crescent Rose in front of her before making a mock gunshot noise. "It won't stand a chance."'

"Yeah, well." Taiyang laughed, shaking his head and smiling widely. "I'm sure that you'll do great and all, but you two aren't quite ready yet."

Ruby leaned forward and stood up in her seat to get close to their father, and Yang was tempted to reach out and push her back into her seat for a moment. "I'm going to be the greatest."

Taiyang reached out though, and he ruffled Ruby's hair for a moment before she finally sat back down. He looked between his two daughters, and when Yang watched him she could see the pride welled up in his blue eyes. He just smiled gently and turned around so that he could get their dinner ready for the night ahead.

That left Yang and Ruby to their drinks, for just that little while ahead of them. Yang closed her eyes and tried to relax, for just that little bit of time. Things were going to change, and things were going to be different in the future, but Yang was glad to have her family there and so happy together.

She loved them both, more than anything. Yang feared what could happen if that grimm got too close to home, but for now, she was going to just enjoy herself at home while she was still able to.

* * *

Weiss followed closely after her father, with Whitley at her side behind him as the three of them made their way up to the office where they were supposed to be meeting with the General of the Atlesian Military, a James Ironwood that her father apparently knew rather closely.

Not much had been divulged about the specifics of this meeting, but that was normal. Weiss was sure that she knew what she and Whitley were there for, regardless.

Her father stared back at her over his shoulder, and his eyes flickered to Whitley for just a moment he faced back forward. The three of them reached an office, and waited as her father took the first step forward to knock on the door.

Weiss closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was going to come. She'd heard stories from her father about this man that they were meeting with. According to him, he was forceful, and a little bit foolish. He was cruel, he was the _monster_ that had taken Winter away from them.

Of course, Weiss had heard several deeply conflicting opinions on the General. Winter had always spoken of the man in a way that always came off as admiration, with a touch of something else that Weiss had never been able to identify. She'd learned to stop reading into it long ago.

"Weiss, Whitley." Their father spoke up as they waited there, just outside of the general's office. "You two best mind yourselves. I don't want to hear a word from either of you unless you have been directly addressed, am I understood?"

"Yes, father." The two spoke, nearly in unison. Whitley sounded more confident than Weiss did. She knew that their father had noticed it.

"Good, now you two-"

The door to the office finally opened, and General Ironwood peered out at them with his eyes looking a little bit more tired than Weiss had been expecting. He looked between the three of them before focusing in on Jacques.

"Jacques," the General greeted her father first. "Bringing children to a business meeting?"

Jacques smiled and took a step forward towards the General, offering an outstretched hand so that the two of them would be able to shake hands in greeting. "General Ironwood," Jacques smiled that smile that Weiss recognized as the one that he liked to put on when there was work to be done. It was how he would go ahead and try to get under their skin and tried to pick them apart from the inside out. It was how he faked being a good person. "What a pleasure to see you."

"Jacques." James replied, stepping forward slightly before taking his hand and the two of them shaking hands for a moment. "Care to explain the children?"

"I figured it would be prudent to introduce my heirs to one of their most important business partners for the _foreseeable_ future." Jacques replied, pulling his hand away and almost falling into parade rest, as he had a number of times before. "Is that so wrong?"

The general sighed heavily and looked between Weiss and Whitley and then spoke up. "I suppose you would be Weiss and Whitley." He smiled between the two of them before bowing low before them, something that Weiss _never_ would have expected from a man of his stature or position. Maybe a servant would bow, but not someone as powerful as the general. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Well met, General." Whitley responded, his smile crossing his face and straightening up slightly.

Weiss looked at her father for just a moment and then lowered herself into a curtsey. "The pleasure is mine."

The general looked down at her with a certain sort of softness that Weiss hadn't expected and nodded to her, giving her permission to stand back up, though he didn't really need to do so. Weiss stood back up straight and waited for a moment, unsure of herself.

"Well, since introductions are out of the way." General Ironwood said, pushing the door open to his office to give entrance. "Jacques, I would prefer that we speak privately." His eyes flicked over to Weiss and Whitley. "I assure you it's nothing personal."

Weiss didn't miss the way that her father grimaced and his eyes narrowed dangerously at the suggestion that Whitley and Weiss leave. She figured that her father had been expecting to use her and Whitley as bargaining chips in some way- not in the sense that he would trade them to the general, but more as a way of strong arming him into doing what he wanted.

But it seemed like the General was wise to her father's tricks, much more than most were.

"Very well." Her father finally spoke up, checking the time on his watch before looking between Weiss and Whitley with that same disapproving scowl that they were both used to. "You two are to wait here. It would be best if you didn't make a disturbance while the General and myself meet."

His eyes locked onto Weiss rather than Whitley, and it was enough to make her almost want to shrink away at the realization of what was happening. "You best not make embarrassments of yourselves unless you want to suffer the consequences."

With that, he and the General slipped into the office, and Weiss was left alone with her brother, just outside of the General's office and without anything to do other than sit still and look pretty. Weiss figured they would have been doing the same thing should they have been let into the meeting, but that wasn't such a big deal. She let out a quiet sigh, figuring that it was for the best not to stray.

"Should we view the Academy Grounds, sister?" Whitley asked, focusing his eyes onto her and leaving Weiss to sigh again. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt if the two of them were to take a look around...

"If we can get back before father's done with his meeting, then I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

Whitley grimaced, the same sort of grimace that she'd seen a thousand times on their father. Whitley took after their father in a lot of ways, not all of them good. That wasn't to say that Weiss didn't care for her brother or love him, it was just that there were some _frustrating_ side effects of their relationship.

It was no secret that their father favored Whitley over her and Winter.

"I hear that Beacon has an extensive library." Whitley spoke up, beginning to lead the way, which Weiss couldn't help but worry about. "I doubt that it's anywhere near as complete as the one in Atlas-"

"Well," Weiss spoke up, following after her brother and holding her head high as she took in the building properly for the first time since arriving. "Beacon has only been rebuilt for a few years, I'd expect that everything they had from before was destroyed."

"Either way," Whitley started, smiling that mischievous smile of his that Weiss hated seeing. "I want to see it."

He walked ahead, and Weiss couldn't help but to roll her eyes before following after him through the academy halls in search of something to hold her interest for a while. Weiss didn't know what that would end up being. She didn't know what she was going to find there- in a way, she was just doing her best to enjoy the little time that she had there.

After all, she'd heard so many things about the academy and most of them were good- being here was a _dream_ of hers.

If she wanted to, she was sure that she could have passed the entrance exams to attend the Academy, but the problem was with her father. He would never allow it, especially if she didn't want to end up completely pushed away from her family like Winter was.

She hugged herself slightly, wondering about where her sister was for a moment. Surely in her training to be a Huntress, Winter had come here at some point. Maybe there was even the chance that her sister was nearby and Weiss didn't even know it.

After all, Winter was known to work closely with the General.

"Sister," Whitley spoke up again. "How long do you think we have before father and the General's meeting concludes?"

Weiss paused, unsure. This was her first time following after her father to go all the way to Vale for the purposes of company business. She knew that the General tended to stay home in Atlas most of the year, but she didn't know much about it besides that. What he was doing in Vale was beyond Weiss.

She'd heard him and her father once before, but that had been in what had appeared to be a private meeting in her father's study.

This was different- it was on the General's territory, and so her father felt the need for the upper hand. It seemed he was willing to do just about anything to get that, too.

"I don't know." She finally admitted. "I would assume that we have at least an hour."

Whitley nodded and looked around the area before walking off on his own and leaving Weiss to follow after him. She needed to be able to stay close to her brother, just in case they didn't get back to the General's office in time.

Even if they were late, she didn't want to be showing up without Whitley with her. She knew better than to think that she wasn't going to end up being the one that saw the most punishment for it. Whitley could do no wrong in her father's eyes, after all.

So Weiss did her absolute best that she could to keep up with her brother, following as closely after him as she could manage before they ended up on a stairwell, heading up it on the way to a library when Weiss twisted her ankle, falling on the last step and landing hard on the cold floor.

Whitley was _gone._

Weiss closed her eyes, trying to block any pain out of her mind as she tried to just massage the injured ankle before finally rising back up to her feet.

With Whitley gone, Weiss knew that the best thing that she could do was to do her best to find him and try to catch up with him before he got himself into too much trouble. She smoothed down her dress and winced as she took the first step forward before following after Whitley's path on her own.

Weiss hugged hugged herself as she walked through the halls of Beacon, deeply unsure of what she was going to find. Weiss found herself at a split in the hall and decided to take the right path, which led her towards an arena.

Currently, it was being occupied by a pair of fighters, and Weiss stepped forward to just watch them as they fought in the pit down below. The two of them probably couldn't have been any more different. The taller of the two was a man with a sword that was much larger than Weiss was, and the second was a girl with long red hair that was tied into a ponytail and still seemed to flare out behind her like fire.

The two of them fought around each other like a dance, and they were _beautiful_.

Weiss knew that she shouldn't have kept on watching them, all things considered, but she couldn't quite pull her eyes away. She needed to go off and find Whitley so that they could later avoid their father's wrath, but...

She _wanted_ to be down in that arena. These fighters were training to become the protectors of humanity- they would inevitably end up in an occupation that made them among some of the most noble people in all of Remnant, like her mother, and her grandfather.

Weiss _belonged_ there.

"Excuse me?" A voice came up and Weiss looked back over her shoulder to see a too-stern looking woman standing there, with her long blonde hair tied into a bun and a serious expression reading across her face. The first thing that Weiss thought was that this woman was much scarier than the General had been, in her own way.

Weiss looked down, curtseying slightly. "Weiss Schnee," She introduced herself before standing up properly and lacing her fingers together behind her back. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm afraid so." The woman answered. "You're intruding on a closed practice." She paused, watching Weiss closely. "And you don't appear to be a student here, Miss Schnee."

"That... is correct, Ma'am." Weiss answered. Despite the fact that she was wearing the Schnee snowflake on her back, the identification by name left Weiss feeling a little uneasy. "I'm here with my father for business and my brother and I-" She wanted to stop herself, since the fact that Whitley was missing didn't help her argument at all. "We decided to take a tour of the grounds while our father met with General Ironwood."

"I see." The woman said, frowning. "I will escort you back to your father." She looked at Weiss. "Where is your brother?"

"I don't know." Weiss admitted, her gaze dropping away from the woman slightly. "I twisted my ankle on the stairs and lost track of him. I ended up here while I was trying to find him." She knew that it probably wasn't going to much. In fact, she was sure that she was going to end up being scolded for failing to track her brother. Finally, she spoke up again, making a quiet plea. "Please don't tell my father."

The woman sighed a too-heavy sigh that reminded of her mother when she ended up arguing with her father too much. Finally, she spoke. "I'll aid you in finding your brother Miss Schnee." The woman spoke, "my name is Glynda Goodwitch and I am the Vice Headmistress of this Academy."

Weiss blinked. She was sure that she'd heard Winter mention this woman at some point, but she didn't know all that much about the woman. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She said finally. "I'm really sorry to be-"

"Don't be." Glynda spoke up, waving a riding crop that she'd had holstered on her calf to open the door so that the two of them could walk through. Weiss couldn't help but wonder whether or not she would be able to do something similar with her own glyphs. "So you are here with your father."

"I am," Weiss explained. "He wanted to introduce Whitley and I to some business associates of his."

"He always was a shrewd man." Glynda said, frowning. "I suspect that you're wandering because James had no interest in his tricks?"

"That's correct." Weiss answered. "You know my father?"

"I know James." Glynda replied. "And as a result I have heard things about your father." She paused and looked over at Weiss, looking her up and down. "Where did you say your brother was heading?"

"He wanted to see the library." Weiss said almost immediately. "I don't know if we were on the right way though, he more or less began taking random turns once we were away from the General's office."

Glynda's frown somehow managed to deepen and grow more severe. She holstered her crop before flicking her blonde hair out of her face and giving another sigh that almost sounded defeated. "We'll find him, miss Schnee."

"Thank you, Professor Goodwitch."

After those words, the two of them fell into a deeply uncomfortable silence that Weiss wasn't quite able to ignore for any reason. Weiss followed closely after Professor Glynda Goodwitch, who she quickly learned was a renowned Huntress before being escorted along with her brother back to the space outside of General Ironwood's office.

Glynda sat with them the entire time, making small talk over the sounds of yelling and anger from inside of the office, and when the door finally opened, she was polite enough not to say anything to Jacques, though Weiss caught her and the General exchange a knowing glance that told her that they both knew that something was _wrong_.

Neither said anything other than some polite goodbyes, and so Weiss, Whitley, and Jacques Schnee of the prestigious Schnee Family were off to their living quarters that they were supposed to occupy during their stay in Vale.

* * *

Nightfall was quickly approaching, and Cinder needed to find shelter. It was clear that the storm was probably going to be coming in the next hour, based on the way that the world had seemed to go completely quiet in the last little while. She didn't want to be caught out for it, but a quick check on her map told her that she was supposed to be finally coming up on Hinagiku rather quickly.

So Cinder did what she could. She sped up her walking, tried to ignore the feeling of dread that seemed to be overtaking her, and she followed the path before her as closely as she could.

Soon, she would have a safe place to rest for a night.

At least, when she looked up to the sky above her, that was what she told herself.


	4. Safety in Numbers

The rain pounded against the roof that was providing him and his associates shelter, and the sound of thunder in the distance left Tyrian feeling like his head was _aching._ It left him feeling like there was something seriously wrong- like something was trying to get close to him and reach out for him with sharpened claws. No matter how many times he told himself that he was safe as long as he stayed by Hazel and dear Arthur's sides, he couldn't shake that feeling.

But he was safe- Tyrian _knew_ that. Hazel and Arthur kept him safe and kept him relatively close.

Thunder was merely a distant threat which felt more present than it was.

Tyrian's two companions had laid down to rest an hour before, neither wanting to be awake for the chaos outside. Tyrian had tried to calm himself and do the same, but he hadn't been able to find sleep.

There was the pain that lingered in his arms from repeated injury, there was the fact that he could practically feel his flesh ready to _burst_ from his carapace on his tail because of the pressure, the sound of thunder cracks that reminded him of metal pipes striking against metal bars. There was the water leaking through the roof above the space where he was supposed to sleep, there was the fact that his genes dictated that he was nocturnal.

All in all, it made for a very _uncomfortable_ experience waiting there by the small fire that the three of them had set to keep them warm. Tyrian sat there beside it, his tail wrapped tightly around him as he did his best to ignore the noises outside and tried not to _jolt_ every time he heard another crack of thunder.

If he took the time, he could figure out just far away the lightning was. All he'd have to do was watch for a flash, then count. Every five seconds meant that the lightning was another mile away. It was an old trick that Arthur had taught him, but Tyrian couldn't concentrate enough to find his comfort that way. His heart was pounding too hard against his chest for that to be even remotely possible.

Tyrian didn't want to think about why, he didn't like the way that it was bound to make tears form in his eyes and make him a target for the others.

So Tyrian just sat there by the fire, tightening his own grip on himself with every boom and looking over at his two sleeping partners whenever he got too nervous to make sure that they were still asleep.

In the end, holding himself together came down to a mantra that Tyrian wasn't entirely sure he'd first heard in a dream.

 _Find me and you will find a home.  
_  
The open wounds on his arms burned again, and Tyrian rubbed at his injuries through his carefully-wrapped bandages, trying not to think too hard on what was underneath them. All he had to do was make it through this storm, and then they were going to be back on their way to find something that had failed to ever be properly named.

Another crack of thunder sounded in the distance, too loud and so powerful that it felt like the building quaked underneath him. Tyrian bit back a whimper and hid his face down in his knees, breathing deeply and trying not to think about it. He thought of dry warm places, of comfort, of the gentleness of a hug-

There was another crack, but this time it wasn't thunder.

Tyrian bolted from his seat, landing on all fours and raising his tail high over his head despite the fact that it hurt to do so in that moment. He blinked, trying to focus his vision on the area around him and trying hard to stop breathing so heavily like he was now.

Something had changed.

Something was _wrong._

His gaze snapped over to Hazel and Arthur. Both still asleep.

Tyrian swallowed hard and reached for his gauntlets, taking the moment to strap into them so that he would be able to defend himself once things went wrong.

The fact that he was thinking of things in those terms wasn't good, Tyrian told himself. It didn't do anything to change his perspective. Fear clung to him like a living thing and nearly left him feeling like he was suffocating.

Slowly, the man raised himself up to his feet and began on the way over towards the stairs. All he had to do was go down and make sure that there was nothing there. No beasts, nobody that was there to harm, no bandits. All that he had to do was make sure that they were _safe_.

If he failed in that, he didn't want to consider what punishments and reprimands he would face for it.

Tyrian pressed himself so close to the wall while he walked down the stairs that he could have became one with the stone there. But he didn't let himself stop. Tyrian forced himself to take step after step until he was there on the ruined ground floor with its broken windows and broken apart pews before finally walking forward and through the remnants of the church that they called sanctuary.

He tried not to look at the ruined symbols and altar.

They weren't what he was here for.

When Tyrian reached the door to the church, broken and damaged as it was, he pressed himself against it so that he could properly peer out onto the overgrown street.

Across from the church, there was a ruined shop that he, Arthur, and Hazel had decided not to use as shelter in favor of taking shelter in the steeple where they could have high ground in case something went wrong.

There was a person there, travelling alone and probably soaked through to the bone. Once in awhile they would turn, and what Tyrian originally thought was a dust-based torch soon revealed itself to be a flame, being sustained in their hand by what Tyrian had to assume was their semblance. He repressed a shiver and watched the traveller closely as they tried to make their way into the ransacked shop.

They wouldn't have any luck- Tyrian knew that. All they'd find there would be broken glass and furniture, all held under a leaking roof.

He watched them with squinted eyes as the lone traveller turned slowly to finally properly survey the area before their gaze landed on the church. They dropped their hand to their side, the fire that had formed there disappearing away into nothing before they jogged over to the door on shaking legs.

Tyrian's eyes widened and he moved away from the door as quickly as he could, dropping down into a position several feet away where he crouched and pressed an open palm to the ground so that he'd be able to listen and _feel_ for the other person as they moved. Seeing in the dark didn't mean much when his vision was already poor, so Tyrian had to feel and listen for anything. The rain made feeling difficult, and it made listening even harder.

But still Tyrian _tried_ because that was what the others would have wanted.

The door opened and the person stepped in, dropping their pack by the door before slamming it shut behind her.

It was the first time that Tyrian managed to get a good look at them properly. It was a young woman, with long legs and curling dark hair. All that Tyrian could think was that she shouldn't have been alone.

She didn't even seem to know that he was there, and Tyrian couldn't tell whether that was good or not. After all, the last thing that he'd been able to eat had simply been what they'd managed to forage the night before in their travels. If this woman had food, then surely it wouldn't be of such great harm for him to steal from her?

Tyrian reminded himself not to fire a weapon, if only for the sake of not waking his travelling companions up.

The woman turned finally, breathing hard and pushing her wet dark hair back over her shoulder before she froze, realizing Tyrian's presence.

He dropped lower, preparing himself to strike and fight when he heard the characteristic clink of metal against metal.

So she was armed, Tyrian thought to himself.

"Who is it?" Tyrian raised his voice just enough that the woman would be able to hear him. He didn't dare draw closer. "What do you want?"

The woman lowered her weapon when she realized that he was just trying to get a read on her. "Who I am doesn't matter." She said finally. "I'm just a weary traveller looking for a place to rest."

"You can't be here!" Tyrian practically hissed the words out. "You being here would be very bad, miss, why, it would be-" He shivered, trying not to think about what would inevitably happen when either Hazel or Arthur found out that he'd failed to keep watch. Another thundercrack that made Tyrian jump. "You _must_ go."

She took a step forward and watched him, just the same as Tyrian was tracking her as she moved. She wore high heels, he'd learned that quickly enough. The sound of her steps clicking against the floor made her easy enough for him to keep track of her position. "You haven't given me a reason why I can't stay." The woman answered him. "And you ask names without introducing yourself."

"Who I am matters not to you," Tyrian practically growled, deeming it fitting that he could stand up now. "All that matters to you, dear ember, is that you must leave."

"Ember." The woman repeated the word as though it carried some meaning. "You were watching me."

"But of course," Tyrian replied. "I was awake to keep watch."

The woman's eyes narrowed significantly at those words, and Tyrian supposed he couldn't blame her too much for it. After all, he doubted that he would have enjoyed being watched himself.

"So you admit to it."

Tyrian paused, sucking in a breath through his teeth and even rolling his eyes slightly. "Why, I cannot deny that, my dear Ember." His eyes narrowed again, even further than before as he finally focuses in on the girl in front of him. "But I must wonder-" He took a step forward, drawing in towards her just slightly. "-What winds have blown you here?"

"There isn't one." The girl answered. "I'm just trying to find… something." She stepped forward, holding her head high and looking entirely too confident the entire way through. She had Tyrian's interest, that was for sure. "And I need a place to wait out the storm."

Tyrian blinked, his gaze flickering over to the staircase that led back up to the space that he had been sharing with Arthur and Hazel upstairs. If this girl was truly just looking for a place to rest-

He pushed the thought away, knowing that he didn't want any involvement in what was going to happen should he let her in. Namely, he feared what would come to him as retribution for it. His lips quirked slightly before he focused on her again. "I believe-" He began. "There might have been an old stable that you could rest in that had a standing roof."

She took another step forward, reaching back for her weapon. The sound of metal clicking together was all that Tyrian needed.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, sweet Ember." Tyrian said, gesturing with his arms to show his weaponry for the first time. "I have no interest in harming you."

"Then why don't you permit me-" She looked him up and down, and Tyrian was sure that she was trying to find a way to address him properly.

"Tyrian." He cut her off, standing up straight since he was now absolutely sure that there wasn't going to be any way for him to lose track of her. "My name, dear Ember, is Tyrian."

"Tyrian." She repeated his name, and it was almost enough to make him shiver. "If you aren't interested in hurting me, then why won't you let me stay here to rest, Tyrian?"

He shifted where he was standing, almost uncomfortably and almost even stepped away from the girl for just a moment. "Why, I cannot allow it because my companions would not allow it."

"So then you aren't alone."

"I am not." Tyrian confirmed, tightening his tail around his waist just slightly, though he was sure that the woman wouldn't notice it. "But you are."

The girl's jaw clenched, and Tyrian was sure in that moment that he'd managed to make his way under her skin and irritate her enough that he was going to be able to get whatever he needed out of her at that point. It was a tactic that he'd learned from Arthur over his time travelling with the man.

"I'm only looking for a place to stay until morning." She paused. "Or at least until the storm ends."

Tyrian nodded slowly, as though he were humoring what the girl had said the entire time. He knew that he wasn't going to give her a place to stay in the church with himself, Hazel, and Watts. That was long off the table.

Finally he shook his head, his long braid swaying to and fro with the motion. "I am afraid I cannot shelter you through these rains, dear Ember." He blinked. "Like I said, there is a stable in which you could find some comfort."

The girl relented. She looked over at the door, where she'd rested her things and Tyrian heard more than saw her as she stowed her weapons again. Even standing where he was, Tyrian could practically feel the anger that was radiating off of her.

"I see." She said, her voice almost dangerous in tone. "I suppose that I'll be on my way-"

There was the sound of heavy footsteps on the staircase was the sign that either Hazel or Arthur had awoken and overheard the conversation between Tyrian and the girl. The heaviness of those footsteps told Tyrian exactly who it was going to be.

"What is this?" The voice sounded, as gruff as ever.  
 _  
Hazel._

Tyrian knew that his tail twitched, wrapped up around him as it was then. He couldn't let himself get dragged down, not here and not now. After all, he'd been so close to getting the girl to leave them alone. Now that Hazel was up, Tyrian was sure that he wasn't going to be able to avoid some sort of punishment for his failure.

But Tyrian also knew that he needed to stand up and answer for himself somehow. "I was just chasing her away, Hazel." He practically gave an announcement of sorts to try and explain himself, even turning and repositioning his entire body so that he wasn't left with his back turned to either of the others there. "Why, she was just about to leave. I didn't mean to wake-"

"Tyrian." Hazel's voice was so harsh in tone that it as enough to leave Tyrian nearly quaking where he stood. In a lot of ways, Hazel's voice had always reminded Tyrian of thunder. Now in the middle of a storm, Tyrian could think of no comparison more apt.

"Yes?" Tyrian hunched over slightly, bringing his hands together in front of him out of nervousness.

"Quiet."

The order was enough to leave Tyrian almost feeling like he'd been struck. It tore through him like a bullet, and so when it was delivered, he couldn't help but to shrink back from it. "Y-yes." He managed, working hard not to let out a sound like a whimper. "O-of course."

Hazel nodded, and it was permission for Tyrian to stand by his side, so Tyrian took that permission and arranged himself there beside the other man. Hazel didn't say anything else to him, just gave the girl a once over like he was looking for something that Tyrian had never quite been able to identify.

"Girl." Hazel spoke again, focusing on the woman that had joined them. "Who are you?"

"The little Ember-"

"Cinder." The girl cut Tyrian off, not relaxing for a second. "My name is Cinder Fall, I have been travelling for a while, and I need a place to wait out the storm and rest." Her eyes snapped back over in Tyrian's direction. "Though it appears I am unwelcome."

At first, Hazel didn't say anything, just nodded along before asking a question. "How old?"

"Twenty one."

Another nod. "Where are you coming from?"

"Haven." Cinder replied.

"How long have you been travelling?"

"Six months." Cinder answered yet another question, seeming to relax slightly even under Hazel's rapid-fire questioning.

"Alone?" Hazel asked now, with something that almost sounded like gentleness beginning to touch his voice.

Cinder nodded, slowly.

Hazel looked over at Tyrian before shooting a question his way. "Did she give you any trouble?"

Normally Tyrian wouldn't be asked about such matters, but this was a rare case, it seemed. Normally, if Hazel or Arthur wanted to do something, they would just go ahead and make those things happen without even so much as seeking Tyrian's thoughts on the matter. He dropped his eyes so that he felt a little bit less like he was going to end up as one of Hazel's targets. "She did not." He finally said. "I-"

Hazel raised a hand in response, just enough to quiet Tyrian immediately. "She can stay." He mumbled, waiting a moment before focusing on the girl again, just one last time.

Cinder took a step back to pick up her bag, and then she spoke up. "Do you have a name?" She asked, turning to face Hazel as she began to stride over towards them. Tyrian made sure not to get too close, his entire body turning to nerves over the intruder being welcomed so easily.

"Hazel Rainart." The largest man answered. "You should come upstairs. It's safer there."

Cinder paused. "Then I suppose that it's a pleasure to meet you." She said quietly before taking the first step onto the stairs. "Where are you two headed?"

"It doesn't matter." Hazel replied, as gruff as ever as he began up the stairs behind Cinder. Tyrian fell into line directly behind him without much, if any prompting. He knew better than to cause too much trouble. "Where are you going?"

Cinder paused, one hand on the rail next to the stairs. "I don't know."

Hazel shrugged. "Then you'll fit in just fine."

None of them said anything to each other after that. The three of them climbed the stairs together until they were on the upper floor of the building where they were going to be safe. Tyrian didn't say anything to the others, just slid back into the space that he was supposed to be calling his bed for the time that they were there.

Arthur was still asleep, and Tyrian supposed that was a good thing as he tried to curl back into his space, finally uncurling his tail from around his waist and then around himself in another way, tucking the stinger in near his stomach.

He didn't miss the fact that Cinder had _stared_.

Tyrian tried not to think about it. He just held himself close and pulled his coat back over his body to keep him warm. In the end, he just squeezed his eyes shut and tried to ignore the sounds of the thunderclaps that so badly hurled him back to places that he didn't want to be.

He could ignore his companions, for just a little while, Tyrian supposed.

* * *

Water clung to Blake's entire body and left her feeling like she was shaking from the cold and unable to escape it. The rain was perhaps the coldest that it had ever been, and what she had for clothing didn't offer much for protection against it.

She couldn't let herself stop, though. Blake knew better than to let herself stop and put herself at risk of getting caught by Adam and the other members of the White Fang again. After all, she knew for a fact that she was just one crossroad away from their camp. Had she gone the other way-

Well, her torn right ear told her plenty about what she would have faced.

Despite all of that, she didn't let herself cry. Instead, Blake stayed as alert as she could possibly manage, and she refused to let anything stop her as she travelled. She'd had a couple of close calls that day, that was true, but Blake was fairly confident that she'd sent Adam and the others off on a road long enough that she was relatively safe, for now.

The thing was, if Blake ended up in trouble, she didn't know how she was going to be able to protect herself. Between the cold, the injury that she wasn't allowing for herself to heal by aura alone, and the fact that she'd just taken a beating that day, she didn't think that she had enough in her that she'd be able to use her semblance to divert other away from her.

So when Blake first saw the sight of green lights in a tower beginning to peek up into view over the treetops, it was almost like a sigh of relief. She didn't stop, just sped up so that she could get to the city sooner. Blake would be safe there- at least in theory. It was possible that word of her presence would make it to Adam, but Blake could probably take as much time as she needed to regroup before she started moving again.

This was her first view of the grand city of Vale, once destroyed but now standing as tall and as strong as ever.

Maybe, Blake thought to herself, this place could be a home for just a little while. Maybe she'd be able to be safe there for as long as she needed a place to rest and stay.

Blake took a deep breath, and then she continued down the road that stretched on in front of her. She did her best to ignore how cold she was, and how wet she was and how uncomfortable it was making her. The fact that the rain had chilled her down to the bones wasn't important.

All that was important to her at that point was that she would be able to find a place to stay for just a little bit.

So she hugged herself in an attempt to keep herself warm, and walked, on and on, and on, until she managed to step through the city gate and for just a little bit, Blake knew that she was _safe._

Even if Adam were to find her in Vale, Blake knew him well enough to know that she was safe. That was how Adam worked- he only struck amongst chaos and in civil society like out in Vale, she was safe. There were witnesses, who wouldn't hesitate to attack.

 _Witnesses_.

That word alone was enough to make Blake leap into an alley where she reached up to gingerly touch her ears. She was injured, but she needed a way to hide it. Blake had to think fast, and reached over to the long sleeve that she wore on her left arm. Carefully, she stripped it off and began to tear the fabric into a singular long ribbon before she tied it over her ears in a bow so that she could hide herself from the world.

It was safer that way.

When Adam came asking about her, he was going to be asking for a faunus girl.

Nobody could point him their way if they didn't know that she was a faunus.

The fabric rubbed against her wound and it made Blake want to cry, but she didn't let herself. She straightened up, fixed her clothes, and made her way into a nearby bar, in the hopes that she could be pointed in the direction of shelter. Normally that wasn't something that she would do, but seeing as she was on the run, she needed to get to people that were going to have loose lips.

The bar that she'd chosen was too big, with music that was far too loud for her liking- whether that was actually the case or a side effect of her ears picking up more sound than the average person would. Of course, Blake wouldn't have been surprised if this club that she'd chosen didn't serve many faunus.

But they didn't know that she was a faunus.

Blake made a beeline for the front and took a seat at the counter beside a too-thin man wearing a cape that seemed to be nursing a glass of whiskey. Behind the bar, there was a gigantic man, talking to a pair of girls that were probably her age. Blake said nothing, just did her best to disappear into the background of everything. She knew that probably wasn't going to be so simple.

After all, who wouldn't notice a teenager that was armed to the teeth like she was?

A voice at her side broke Blake out of her thoughts.

"Aren't you a little young to be here, kid?" The man there asked. Blake almost jolted, ready to attack, but when she looked over, she saw that the man that had been speaking was just staring straight ahead at something with red eyes that somehow managed to look _gentle_. She swallowed and spoke up.

"Just warming up." Blake said, snapping her vision back down to the bar counter in front of her. "Need some help."

The man shifted, turning so that he could face her. For the first time she got a good look at him. Scruffy, red eyes, looked a little tired. Blake already didn't know that she could trust him. After all...

Blake pushed the thought back before it could take her over.

Finally, he spoke up again. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen." Blake answered quietly. "Do you know any inns?"

"Yeah-" The man answered with a slight shrug. He offered a hand to her, and Blake almost shrank back but didn't let it happen. Just reached out to exchange a quick handshake before withdrawing. "The name's Qrow."

"Blake." She introduced herself as calmly as she could manage.

Qrow nodded slowly and raised his glass to his lips again, drinking from it and seeming to melt in pleasure with either the taste or the buzz. "Well, Blake." He said. "What are you, here for the academy?"

Blake blinked, figuring that she knew exactly why this man was asking her that question. He'd noticed that she was armed but-

She got a good look at him again, and saw that there was a weapon stowed on his back. A sword, by the looks of it. Huntsman, no doubt.

So Blake pursed her lips, snapped her vision away from Qrow, and stared down at her hands where they rested on the bar counter. There was bruising forming on her right wrist, so she just tugged her sleeve down over the emerging dark spot so that Qrow couldn't notice it. "Sure." She said finally. "We'll go with that."

Qrow nodded in understanding, draining the rest of his glass. "Running from something, then?"

Blake didn't answer. She didn't need to.

"I get that." Qrow said finally, giving her a quick look over again. "So you need a place to stay, huh?"

"Yeah." Blake murmured. "Just until it's safe again."

"Beacon could keep you safe."

"Why do you care?"

Qrow shrugged. "I've been in the same place, we'll just say that." He raised a hand to flag down the bartender, and then the behemoth of a man was over on his way there. The first thing that Blake thought when she saw him was that her father was bigger.

In a way, that provided some comfort, as well as some fear all wrapped in one.

The man leaned forward on the counter. "What is it?"

"Junior-" Qrow said, looking between Blake and the bartender. "This here's Blake. Kid needs a place to stay for a little while. Got a list?"

"Yeah." Junior said, looking over at Blake for just a moment. "Want something to drink? Seems like you've had enough of water."

Blake paused, not really sure about whether she wanted something to drink or not that day. "No thank you." She said finally. Food would have been fantastic, but she had a feeling that was something that this place didn't have. "No thanks," She said finally. "Just help."

Junior nodded and stepped away from the two of them, leaving Blake alone with Qrow again. She just shot Qrow a look, and couldn't miss the way that he smiled just a bit at her. Almost affectionate.

If she needed to, she was ready to fight.

"If you want it, kid-" Qrow began, watching Blake. "You seem capable, and that weapon of yours looks like it's nothing to sneeze at. You think you want to stay here in Vale, you go to Beacon Academy, find Ozpin, and say I sent you along."

"But-"

"Hey!" Qrow shrugged, displaying his open palms to Blake. "I've got friends up there, ones that trust me. Ozpin's the headmaster, and they don't turn down talent."

Blake paused, not really sure whether or not she wanted to take Qrow's offer or not. She knew that he was offering her something that she wasn't likely to find anywhere else. Something that surely wasn't being offered to her lightly.

She liked to think that she knew opportunity when she saw it.

She liked to think that her parents would approve of this- they'd be proud of her in theory…

Blake didn't know.

But the fact of the matter stood, and that she was going to have to make a decision at some point. She was going to have to decide on something that was going to end up shaping her entire future.

"What makes you so sure I'm a fighter?" Blake asked, weighing her words and making a point not to look over at Qrow. "Aside from the sword."

Qrow was quiet, swirling his drink in his hand for a long moment before he finally spoke up with an answer for Blake. "Because you look like you've been roughing it for a while. And kids don't just travel out there alone these days." He paused, looking at Blake's face now. "You're alone, right?"

"I am." Blake confirmed, sighing quietly. "You mean it about the academy?"

Qrow shrugged. "Sure," he mumbled, setting his glass down for just a moment. "I don't see why they wouldn't take you, as long as you can prove that you belong there." He paused. "I get the feeling you wouldn't have any trouble with that either."

Blake didn't like the way that her skin crawled with the suggestion, but she didn't let it show.

In the end, there was a question that needed to be answered, and Blake didn't know how much time she was going to have to make that decision. She took a deep breath and tugged down on her remaining sleeve again, glad that nobody had picked up on the fact that she was only wearing one. It was a good thing that asymmetry was considered _fashionable_ to many.

She balled her hands into fists just slightly before turning to look over at Qrow. "I'll think about it." Blake said finally, her gaze quickly flicking back down to her hands instead of at Qrow.

"Well," Qrow shrugged as Junior came back to the bar counter with a small sheet of paper that he set down in front of Blake. "You might want to think about it quick, kid." Qrow mumbled, raising one finger at Junior, who knew exactly what he was asking for and immediately began fixing another drink for Qrow. "The new term is supposed to be starting soon."

Something about those words in particular caught Blake's attention, and she knew that she snapped her head back in Qrow's direction. Why would he knew that? Maybe he knew someone who went to the school, but if he knew the headmaster...

Her eyes narrowed, and Blake was sure that if she were truly a cat and not just a faunus girl, her hackles would have raised and her tail would have puffed out in stress. "Why do you care so much?"

"Doesn't matter." Qrow answered, taking his glass as Blake began to look over the list that she'd been given. "Think on it, Blake. It's a decent place to be." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Might find whatever you're looking for there, who knows."

Blake swallowed hard and nodded, folding the list and shoving it into her pocket before standing up. "Thank you." She said finally, pushing her bangs back away from her eyes before turning and making her way out of the bar. She'd gotten everything that she'd needed that night, and now it was just up to her to find a place to stay.

That was easy enough- she ended up in a sleazy looking hotel that had low rates for rooms.

She did her best to ignore the noise as she went to sleep that night.


	5. Exploration

**A/N:** **I just wanted to clear the air about some things before this chapter, just in case any of you guys are sensitive to misgendering.**

 **In this fic, I'm writing Ozpin as agender. This isn't something that's necessarily known to every party.**

 **Weiss' misgendering of Ozpin is entirely out of ignorance. She doesn't know Ozpin's gender or pronouns, only what she's heard from her father. She will be corrected in universe, but until then, she will be using the wrong pronouns. I'm sorry if this makes anyone uncomfortable and am open to suggestions if you have any.**

 **I don't want you guys to be made uncomfortable by this choice that I've made narratively, and so I wanted to give you all a heads up.**

 **That said, I hope you are all able to enjoy this chapter, regardless of what's to come.**

 **Thank you for reading 3**

* * *

"-Now, children, I'm sure you're all wondering what it was that changed the nature of the Grimm over the course of the last two decades." A green-haired, lanky man at the front of the room nearly span on his heel. He turned to face his many students with a certain amount of bravado that didn't quite fit right on a man that had failed to even tuck in his shirt correctly and wore mismatched shoes.

None of that was enough to bother Ruby though. This was Professor Oobleck, though she knew for a fact that he would have complained if someone called him that to his face. He'd always been Ruby's favorite teacher at Beacon, despite her not really caring that much about history. So she sat there in her usual seat beside Yang, listening in on the professor's lecture with some great interest- and it was mostly because today's lecture wasn't about _normal_ things.

Usually Oobleck liked to work off of a lesson plan, but today he had come in with only his mug of coffee and two notecards. Normally, he would have come in with a stack of paperwork or a prepared presentation.

Ruby loved that Professor Oobleck telegraphed how his lessons would go.

But nobody answered him. He stared out at them from beside those gigantic glasses of his before leaning forward on his desk at the front of the room, with his hands splayed out to some degree as he tried to get a read on everyone in that room. Professor Oobleck nodded, like someone had whispered something into his ear despite the fact that nobody was there before speaking up again. "Of course you all are!" In almost a flash he was on the other side of the desk, standing in front of it instead of being positioned in front of the board. "Who here has had a family member that's been a Hunter?"

There wasn't even time for a pause. "In recent generations, I should clarify!" Oobleck practically shouted the words, and earned a few quiet, almost nervous laughs.

Ruby and Yang exchanged a look before both of them raised their hands, along with a couple of other students in the room. All in all, people who had come from families with hunters made up about a third of the room.

For a moment, Ruby felt a pang of sadness, since she knew just as well as everyone else in that room _why_ that was.

Ruby knew that Uncle Qrow and her dad had both fought Yang about wanting to be a Huntress early on, and she'd gotten that too. At the time she hadn't quite understood _why_ they were so upset by the possibility. The only reason that either of them had backed down had been because Yang had reminded them that they were both Huntsmen themselves. The hypocrisy had been enough to make them give up.

Ruby had come to learn that a lot of hunters looked at the profession with some level of regret. They could do it themselves and thrive just fine, but many of them wouldn't dare wish it on their children. Especially ones that had lost friends and family because of their choice in career.

With that considered, Ruby knew _exactly_ why they didn't want her or Yang to be Hunters at first. Her dad and Qrow were afraid they'd lose them like they had her mother, and Uncle Qrow's sister. And so seeing so few hands raised in that room when everything was put into consideration made sense.

So when Ruby held her hand up, she held it high over her head and _proudly_ because she didn't want to be missed for so much as a second.

Professor Oobleck nodded and sipped from his thermos, like he always did when this sort of thing was going on. "But of course!" He announced finally. "It's a noble profession, you should all be proud to be involved in it-" He didn't pause for even a split second, "What have your family members told you about how the Creatures of Grimm used to be?"

Ruby was about to open her mouth when she heard Yang's voice. "They used to be everywhere!" Her sister laughed, leaning back in her seat. "And so weak that any of us could have taken them out alone."

"That's partially true, yes." The professor responded. "Of course, that's not true when it comes to how _all_ Grimm used to be, but it was often the case." He paused. "Beasts of the size that you're used to seeing were very rare back then, and not for the same reasons. The grimm of such scale were rarities amongst the other monsters that existed, rather than all that's left of the monsters."

"So-" A boy's voice sounded out from behind Ruby, and she turned her head just slightly to see that it was Jaune, one of her friends that she'd made there at the academy. He wasn't the best hunter, but he tended to be smart enough. "What changed things?"

Professor Oobleck's mouth opened just slightly and for a second Ruby could have sworn that she was staring forward at her for just a moment, lingering in ways that he never seemed to.

"Well," He said, flashing back behind the desk so quickly that Ruby missed it when she blinked. Oobleck pulled a chart down at purely dazzling pace to present a map of the world of Remnant. "The disappearance, or rather, the failure to thrive of the creatures of Grimm is something that has been extensively researched to no great success."

"But..." Another voice spoke up, this one that Ruby recognized as a girl named Pyrrha's. She was probably the strongest fighter in their year aside from Yang. She was also one of the nicest people that Ruby knew- she even looked up to Pyrrha on some level. "How is that possible?"

Professor Oobleck hesitated, reaching out and tapping on a spot on the map, though it seemed to be randomly selected out of the middle of the great Sanas Desert. "As you all know, Creatures of Grimm don't leave behind proper corpses. After being killed, they will evaporate into dust instead of leaving behind a physical form. This has made their study exceptionally rather difficult, and the fact that your professor Port has had nearly as much success as a researcher of the beasts could be considered a miracle."

For the first time in that lecture, Ruby picked up her pen and began to take notes on what the professor was saying, if only because there was something that told her she needed to know this. Like it would somehow be important.

"Then where did the grimm come from?" Jaune spoke up again, still sounding somewhat confused. "Weren't they-"

"Where the grimm came from has long been poorly understood." Doctor Oobleck responded, entirely too calmly. "All that we've known for a long time was that they were attracted to negative emotions, but over the last two decades they've become more docile."

The quiet that had already filled the room only seemed to get heavier with those words as it became apparent to Ruby and to everyone else in the room that whatever had changed things wasn't simple at all. Doctor Oobleck was one of the people that should have been able to tell them how things had changed, and yet...

Yang looked over at Ruby, seemingly picking up on the discomfort that was filling her. Neither of them said anything to each other, but Yang did gently bump her arm against Ruby's as they sat there.

Doctor Oobleck didn't stop though. He had a class to teach, and he seemed to be adamant about continuing with what he was talking about instead of stopping. "All that's happened over the last decade is that they have grown bigger, more rare, and they seem to be less deadly, but do not let this fool you."

He was standing by the window now, staring out there and Ruby was sure that every person in that room knew what he was looking at out there. Ruby and Yang exchanged a look again, both remembering their talk with their father the night before, and their talk in the tower before dinner.

Ruby didn't doubt for a second that he was looking out at the giant grimm as it wandered outside the outskirts of the city.

The fact that Doctor Oobleck seemed to be afraid of the monster didn't help.

Finally, after taking the longest pause he'd taken over the course of that entire class, Oobleck spoke again. "Those monsters are just as deadly as they have always been, just now they're waiting for something."

The sound of the bell ringing made him straighten up though and turn back to the class. "Your homework for tonight is to come in with a single-page on Grimm Prevalence outside of city walls and how they've changed over the last decade. Your parents are not considered usable sources!"

Ruby couldn't help but snicker quietly at that. Oobleck needing to say that meant that someone had tried to get away with using a parent in the past as a source. Even though she and Yang were raised by Hunters, they knew better than that.

Yang got up first and stretched slightly. Ruby got up and paused, wanting to go to the front of the class and ask her professor some questions. She couldn't quite bring herself to do it though, and so she carefully collected her things and followed after her sister.

On the way out of the room the two sisters passed by professor Ozpin, who looked down at them with a gentle smile and a quiet "Hello, students."

"Hello professor Ozpin!" Ruby exclaimed while Yang gave a sloppy half salute of sorts. The headmaster only smiled and gestured to the way out the door before stepping into Doctor Oobleck's classroom and closing the door behind them.

Ruby paused for just a moment, but Yang nudged her again. "Ruby, come on." She said in an urging voice. "We have to get to class."

"Right." Ruby answered, shouldering her backpack. "Combat class!" She tried to put on the normal cheery attitude that she always would, hoping that it would be enough to keep Yang off her back.

She knew it wouldn't be enough, but Ruby had to try and at least pretend like that giant monster that was waiting out on the edges of the city wasn't scaring her somehow.

* * *

Qrow stood on the edge of the Beacon Academy grounds, not at all alone but very ready to go out there into the world and see how that grimm was doing. Normally this wasn't something that would bother him all that much, but today it was different. Today, he had to contend with the fact that the beast was getting closer.

Experience told him that this was very bad. A grimm that got close these days was inevitably going to be one that got violent.

"How far do you think it is?" Qrow asked, leaning against a tree and watching it wander through the forest, gaze kept low on the forest floor as it moved. Looking for something. Waiting for something.

"I don't know." his companion answered, shifting slightly and staring out at the beast in the same way with cold blue eyes. "There are markers on the path that you should pay attention to, though." He muttered. "It'll help you give a consistent number."

"Yeah, yeah," Qrow rolled his eyes. "I know, Jimmy."

James shot him a wholly unamused look and shook his head. "Just get out there and stay out of trouble." James finally said, quietly. "I don't want to have send someone to find you."

"Lighten up." Qrow murmured as he reached back to check that his weapon was still there and ready, sharp as ever. "It's just a giant monster."

James shook his head. "How many of these do we have to fight before it's not just a giant monster anymore?" His voice sounded almost distant. His eyes, sad.

Qrow watched James for a moment before taking a couple of steps back and away from the tree where James was standing with his arms crossed over his chest. It wasn't hard guessing that James felt nervous about this at all- the guy always had a certain sort of fear that clung to him at all times that he'd never quite been able to get rid of. Of course, all things considered, that wasn't a surprise.

"I dunno, Jim." Qrow muttered, knowing that he probably sounded bitter when he said the words. "Maybe when they're gone."

"Or we're gone." James grumbled, bitter.

"Whichever." Qrow said, straightening up and stretching, practically bouncing from one foot to the other before he could go ahead and make his takeoff. "I'll see you seen, alright Jimmy?"

"James."

Qrow smirked and broke into a sprint, leaping off of the side of the cliff and waiting just a moment longer than he normally would have because he knew that it was enough to scare James before finally transforming himself into a bird and beginning his flight out into the forests.

Qrow sincerely loved being able to fly, despite the fact that it didn't always end well and it sometimes meant trouble. Of course, ever since the grimm had really started dying off, things had gotten easier, but there was still the problem where it was too easy for him to tire in flight. Getting tired was dangerous, and if it wasn't for his aura Qrow was sure that he would have died by falling several times over.

He tried not to pay too much attention to the situation with James though- the two of them had exchanged the little information that they'd needed to, and that had been the end of it. Now it was up to him.

Watching the world from the sky was hard though- it meant that Qrow had to focus in on things that he normally wouldn't have concerned himself with too badly. So he set himself to his first task, which was finding the markers that James had mentioned. Not to mention the path.

That path worried Qrow sometimes, he couldn't pretend that it didn't. He remembered the first time that he'd come down it as a wanderer with his sister at his side. He was sure that he'd met a girl the night before that had taken that path for herself. Everyone seemed to take it at some point or another in their life.

The real thing that made him worry about it was how often people went down that path and never came back, but also never met their destination.

The world was a dangerous place. That had never changed. Qrow knew that better than most people did.

He kept his eyes on the world below, scanning it for the path and eventually finding it from through the tree cover. Locking on, Qrow kept close to it, and went on his way. The first marker came soon enough, and then it was just a matter of counting.

In a way, Qrow knew these small landmarks better than the back of his hand. He'd passed them often enough by land, not to mention how he passed them by sky these days.

Marker one was unremarkable. It was kept clean, and any time that it got damaged it typically got cleaned up quickly enough that nobody could notice it. Marker one was a place of familiarity. It was a place that Qrow associated with sharing drinks with Taiyang back in the day while they waited for their teammates to return back from their missions. It's a place for friends.

Marker two was more dangerous. It was a place where most people managed to reach, but casualties were always a worry and they were all beyond well aware of the dangers of ending up in a place like it. But still, most who tried to run from Vale turned back by the time they reached marker two.

The third marker was when you were truly out of the city. It was the first step into lawlessness. It was less clean than the others, but normally people didn't go this far unless they were on a patrol of the perimeter.

Much like Qrow was now.

He counted each marker until he was far too close to the grimm for his liking. He got up to thirteen before he found the fourteenth marker was missing, having been destroyed along with much of the area around it through what looked like a gigantic hoofprint.

Fourteen markers.

Fourteen miles.

It wasn't the most dangerous distance that he could have had to face, but it was still too close for comfort. Qrow turned violently in the air, taking the winds so that he could get a better scan of the area and follow those tracks to make sure that it hadn't ever strayed any closer than the fourteen.

It didn't look like the beast had, which was a good thing.

Qrow had all of the information that he needed, and so it was time for him to turn back. However, he wasn't going to do that without getting a good look at the monster.

He couldn't accurately guess a height for the beast- mostly because when he flew he found gauging his distance from the ground to be an incredibly difficult task.

But the monster- it was taller than Qrow normally was able to fly. It's head was high enough that its set of curled horns- impressive things, were enough to poke up into the low-hanging clouds. It's eyes, red and burning as ever in a color that reminded Qrow all too much of his sister's. The plating that covered its body was the right bone color, but it had been damaged many times over by the looks of things. In places he could see spots where chunks had been gouged out of the armoring.

On top of that, there were so many places with moss or algae growing over.

However old this monster was, it was probably close to ancient.

There was fur in some places that looked to be knotted and matted in places, something that didn't bother him. Grimm weren't exactly known for their grooming, after all. This was a beast that was formidable enough that it had resisted death many times over.

Qrow feared for whoever was going to have to face the beast.

Someone was going to end up fighting it, and that was probably going to be a task that would go to a student, who was almost inevitably going to perish.

It was the sort of thing that made Qrow feel terrible about his choice in career.

But he'd done his task, and so he turned back, beginning the flight back to Beacon so that he could give his first report to Ozpin and let them know what they had to face from outward appearances alone. On the way back to the city, he did his absolute best to ignore the larger black bird that flew in at his side, only for a moment.

It gave a croak in his direction before heading off away from where he was going- clearly seeking something that didn't interest Qrow at all.

His heart sank.

He wanted to follow that bird, but knew that it would only be considered _unwise._

Qrow could chase ghosts on some other day. For now, he had his duty to the people of Vale, and the people of Remnant as well.

* * *

Weiss was brought to the academy again so that her father would be able to continue his meetings with General Ironwood before moving on to his next target- a Headmaster Ozpin that was in charge of the academy. Weiss didn't know about Ozpin, just that he was a powerful man, and her father frowned on him for some reason.

But this time, it was different. Since her father had realized that she and Whitley weren't going to be able to find entry into the meeting, they were left to spend their day at the academy as they pleased. He'd been able to find someone to look after the two of them, and they even had the ability to audit classes should they want to.

It only put Weiss and Whitley in the terribly awkward situation where neither of them belonged there at the academy and were doing their best to blend in.  
With their Schnee-white hair and snowflake emblems, that wasn't an easy task. Brand recognition was a detriment in this case.

Of course, knowing that she had to wear those things _because_ of the fact that she was part of the Schnee Dust Company brand left a terribly bitter taste in Weiss' mouth. However, the fact that they were in the academy meant that Weiss got a chance to truly immerse herself in a world that she'd only dreamed of.

And she was able to do it in a fashion where she wasn't exploring Beacon Academy after hours. For Weiss, she took the chance to slip off to Professor Glynda Goodwitch's combat class, because it was the chance to really soak in what she hadn't been able to the night before.

She and Whitley ended up splitting off so that Whitley could finally go to the library like he'd wanted.

Weiss slipped into the classroom as silently as she could with Myrtenaster at her side. Getting it into the academy without her father noticing had been an ordeal of sorts, but Weiss didn't mind it that much. She was here and she finally had a chance where she was going to be able to prove herself.

The world that she entered into couldn't have been any more different than the private combat classes that she'd gotten from her sister. The quiet summoned grimm that she was used to was replaced by people facing off against each other.

Gunshots, speed, semblances, all being put to the best use possible, while every fighter's aura levels went displayed on a screen for everyone to see. To Weiss, this looked much more like the tournaments that she'd always been forbidden from watching but managed to see while spending time with Klein in the kitchen.

In the ring right now was the girl with the dark red hair that she'd seen fight the night before, but this time the girl wasn't fighting one other opponent. This time, the girl whom the screen identified as Pyrrha Nikos faced off against a group of four boys.

She was positively flattening them the entire way through.

Slowly, Weiss crept towards the edge of the balcony from where she was able to look down at the match in the pit below. There were a couple of others there, all watching as well while some hooted and hollered in excitement but for Weiss that didn't matter. She was enthralled. There was a brutal finesse to Pyrrha's fighting style.

She set one hand on the railing in front of her, watching the fight so closely that she was able to focus in on every gap in the boy's strategy.

"Hey-" A voice squeaked at her side. Weiss blinked and turned her face to see a girl, that was about the same height as Weiss was despite the fact that Weiss was wearing heels. "-You aren't in this class, are you?"

Weiss almost took a step back away from the girl, who had dark red hair and soft silvery grey eyes that stared up at her. "Excuse me?"

"It's just-" The girl leaned forward against the railing, stepping up onto the tips of her toes as one of the boys in the ring got slammed into another by some way that Weiss couldn't identify. Like he had been moved by magic. Seeing this, the girl at Weiss' side fistpumped in excitement before focusing on her again. "I've just never seen you before. Are you an exchange or something?"

"No," Weiss deadpanned with a roll of her eyes. She was used to people recognizing at the first second that they saw her, not questioning her like this. But despite that, it was nice. It was a chance to just be. "Just visiting for a few days."

"Well..." The redhead turned slightly, pursing her lips and looking a little bit annoyed for a moment before turning to Weiss again. She seemed to spin on her heel before thrusting a hand out in Weiss' direction. "My name is Ruby!"

"Weiss." Was the only answer that she could give, following it up with a quick but dainty handshake. Grace in all things, just as she'd been taught by her mother. "Look, I'm really not-"

"Yeah, I get it." Ruby cut her off, brimming a little too much with excitement as a general rule for Weiss' liking. "You're just here to check out the school right?"

A heavy sigh escaped Weiss as she tried to think of something to say to Ruby. "More or less." She answered finally, blinking and focusing in on the fight again. "And I take it you're a student here?"

"I am." Ruby replied. "First year, but you know-" The girl shrugged slightly. "I'm a prodigy or something." She faced Weiss again, seemingly realizing then that Weiss was armed for the first time. "Do you go to one of the academies or-"

Weiss pursed her lips, trying hard not to feel too bitter as she gave an answer. "I'm privately tutored." She held her head high, though it didn't feel quite right for Weiss to do that then and there. There was just something missing in the whole thing.

"So..."

"I was taught by my sister."

"Oh, me too!" Ruby stepped onto the lowest rung of the railing, scanning the room for someone before pointing. "My sister helped teach me. I mean, kinda, it was mostly my dad and my uncle Qrow-"

Weiss knew that her lip twitched dangerously. She knew that she was probably about to come off as terribly mean or standoffish. The truth was that Weiss didn't really care.

Mostly, she wanted for this Ruby girl to stop talking to her so that she could actually enjoy the little time that she had there at Beacon.

"Listen, Ruby-" Weiss began, standing up military tall in a way that mirrored her sister. She knew that she wasn't able to get much out of it based off of height alone, but she could at least try. "I really am not that interested."

Ruby seemed to be a little bit taken aback. Her mouth dropped open slightly and her eyes widened in sadness. Wess didn't let herself think about it too much.

"But-" Ruby looked back down at the match, which was ended with a hard blow to one of the boy's sides from Pyrrha's shield. "I thought that you wanted to-"

"No." Weiss took a half-step back, still holding her head up high and watching Ruby closely. "I'm here to visit the academy and that is all. Once my father's meetings are-"

Weiss tried to stop herself then, but knew that she was too late.

"Wait." Ruby reached out, trying to stop her. "Your father?"

Weiss let out a heavy sigh. "Yes," She replied as coolly as she could manage. "My father. I'm only here to accompany him on his trips so that he could meet with the general and the headmaster of this academy. Once he's done I'm heading back home to Atlas."

Ruby sighed and looked down at her hands, seeming like she was feeling dejected at the very least. "Yeah, that makes sense." She sounded almost sad, and Weiss almost felt bad about it, but she knew that it was for the better that she didn't get too close to this other girl. It was best not to make any connections while she was there.

The fact that Weiss would have stayed if she wanted to was only part of the equation. She took a breath, steeling and centering herself. "I'm just trying to enjoy the time that I do have here."

"Well-" Ruby paused, looking around the room and trying to find something. "I could show you around the school?"

"While that's a very kind offer-" Weiss' gaze flicked over to the ring which was re-filling, this time with a match that looked a little bit more even from the outside. "I think that it's better if I stay here."

A part of Weiss wanted to step up and see whether she'd be able to go down into that ring herself and fight, but she knew it wasn't likely. Or possible. After all, she wasn't s student, she was an unproven heiress who officially wasn't able to fight.

She took a step away from the railing, deciding that she'd seen enough. Weiss turned to leave the room, and heard the sound of Ruby following after her for some reason. However, all of a sudden it stopped and Ruby spoke up.

"Oh." She said quietly. "You're a Schnee, aren't you."

"Yes." Weiss answered, turning to face Ruby again, her head still held high. "I am Weiss Schnee, _heiress_ to the Schnee Dust Company."

Ruby nodded slowly, understanding fully well. It wasn't a secret how she'd figured it out- the Schnee logo was a globally recognized one, after all.

"Right." Ruby said finally. "It was nice meeting you, uh, Weiss."

"The feeling is mutual." Weiss responded before giving a slight curtsey and slipping off to see more of Beacon Academy on her own.

She only made it so far before she accidentally bumped into someone in the hallway, a tall man with silver hair and dark green clothes that already knew her by name and greeted her politely.

She tried not to pay him any mind, and continued on her way.


	6. The Chosen Few

As was the case on most mornings, Arthur Watts was the first member of their convoy to rise.

As was also the case on most mornings, Arthur was content to lie in bed and ignore the world around him because when it came down to work, he didn't want to be the first one to set to cleaning and preparing them to leave. That would only put him in a position where he would do the bunk of the chores.

And because of that, Arthur didn't move from his bedroll.

Despite the fact that he was sticking so close by his normal routines, Arthur did realize that the morning was different from the ones before it. The storms had settled and any grey clouds that had been in the sky for days before had vanished. By that, Arthur could guess that it would be an easy day of travel.

However, there were certain realities in the situation that Arthur didn't dare allow himself to ignore.

Firstly, there was the minor problem where they were running low on rations and _desperately_ needed to regroup and ensure that they had their goals clear to all of them. At some point _he_ \- not Hazel and Tyrian, would have to slip into town and bargain until they had the things that they'd need to continue on their quest.

Secondly and much more alarming, there was the fact that they were no longer alone. At some point during the night, they had grained a fourth person in their campsite. A teenage girl, of all things.

Needless to say, that particular realization left him fuming, and wondering which one of his two companions had permitted her to stay there.

The thought forced him out of bed, because it was clear that he _apparently_ had to once again whip his partners into shape. One of them had allowed this, and he was going to deal with it, whether Hazel and Tyrian liked it or not.

Arthur would have willingly put money on this being Tyrian's fault, and was about ready to grind a well-placed heel on the faunus' tail when he heard Hazel's low growl.

 _"Arthur."_

That made him stop, taking a half step back from the slumbering Tyrian to face Hazel, who was sitting up now and pushing his hair back out of his face with a gargantuan hand.

"Hazel." He responded, straightening up and peeking up to the sun to gauge its position in the sky. "Is there some meaning to this?" The wave of his hand in the girl's direction was all that he needed to use.

"The girl?" Hazel responded, finally moving and sitting up, stretching slightly where he sat before he got to his feet. "She came through last night."

"Yes, I assumed as much." Arthur sneered his response. "I was hoping for an explanation as to why she is here. I suppose you had nothing to do with this?"

"I let her stay." Hazel responded as he pulled his coat onto himself and began to clear out his area of the camp site. "She seemed harmless."

Arthur rolled his eyes, picking up the small bag of supplies that he was carrying with him. "Hazel, you should know better than anyone that nobody that travels alone is _harmless_." He glanced back down at the still sleeping Tyrian and just decided to knock the toe of his shoe into the other man's ankle. They needed to get moving sooner than later.

Tyrian jolted awake, eyes wide and chest already heaving over being awoken in such a matter. Arthur just stepped back and finally got a good look at the girl that had been allowed to rest there. The first thing that he noticed was that there was no way that she was over the age of 25. She had weapons, which were resting close to her head.

There was no way that she had been confused for harmless.

"Get up." Arthur shot the command at Tyrian, who was already beginning to squirm up onto his feet. Tyrian being up meant that everyone in that room that mattered were awake and they'd be able to leave at any time if they wanted to.

"What're you planning?" Hazel spoke up now, stretching slightly. "We're supposed to be finding Her-"

"Well, seeing as we're getting closer and closer to where we _think_ our target _might_ be-" Arthur paused, reaching back to rub at a scar on the back of his neck and trying hard to ignore the burn. "Today will likely be mostly reconnaissance until we find something."

"And after that?"

"We need to find a place to restock our supplies." Arthur rolled his eyes, looking between Tyrian, who was taking the chance to fix his braid before they got moving. "We can only last so long with what we have."

"And then we'll-" Tyrian spoke up, checking that he had his things in order. Arthur didn't let him finish, if only because he didn't want to hear Tyrian's voice for too much longer.

"Yes," Arthur answered with a roll of his eyes. "We'll find your _Goddess._ " The word felt bile and even bitter on Arthur's lips, but the truth was that the three of them had this search in common. They all came together by a push of something that was if anything, _otherworldly_. Arthur was skeptical, Hazel appeared to be out of options, and Tyrian was just different.

The girl shifted and sat up now, looking between the three of them as they prepared to leave. Her eyes flickered between the three of them- curious.

Arthur looked down at her with narrowed eyes. "What do you want?"

"I-"

"Arthur." Hazel cut him off. "The girl just needed a place to rest." The man looked a little bit like he was about ready to punch something, but Arthur knew that it was nothing to worry about. Status quo if anything.

Arthur knew that his upper lip twitched in displeasure over those words and he rolled his eyes, a little bit harder than he should have. "You could have endangered us-"

Hazel took a step forward, getting ready to place himself in Arthur's space. Arthur didn't budge though. He knew better than to let himself pull away when he had nothing to be afraid of. "Afraid of a child?"

"No." Arthur's gaze flickered over to the girl. "Mostly _disappointed_ in the failures in chain of command."

There was that frustration again in Hazel. Arthur ignored it and shot Tyrian a glare to make sure that the youngest of their long-held trio stayed in line and was well aware that he shouldn't stray out of line. Tyrian shrank back slightly, rubbing his hands together and wrapping his tail around himself finally.

Arthur's eyes flicked back up to the sky above them so that he could check how they were doing for time. They needed to start moving _now_ , or they were going to run the risk of not reaching a place to restock their supplies. Personally, Arthur could have gone a night or two without having to consume whatever game had been brought in.

His eyes flicked between his partners, and Arthur decided that it was for the best if he didn't pay the girl too much attention. After all, _he_ was the one amongst this group that had priorities and was actually good about keeping them.

"You two are ready?"

"Yes." Tyrian answered, almost meekly, keeping his eyes glued down to the floor. It was better that way, Arthur knew.

Hazel grunted in affirmation and Arthur took it for what it was. It was the confirmation that they were going to get moving then.

He began to lead the way out of the building, shoving past the girl that had stayed there the night before roughly and being sure to impose himself physically on the way down. Arthur glanced back over his shoulder to see that the others were following around. Of course, Tyrian kept close to him, but that was to be expected.

It was Tyrian, after all.

Hazel didn't follow so closely though. Instead, the man paused up at the top of the stairs to quietly exchange some words with the girl. Arthur found himself standing amongst the pews on the bottom floor with Tyrian.

When Hazel finally came back down, it was with the girl following closely after him.

"Hazel, you-"

"She's travelling with us." Hazel spoke up, his eyes narrowed and hands balled into fists. "Just until we reach the next village or we find something of interest."

The fists meant that there was no way that Arthur was going to be able to have his way with this. In all of the time that he'd known Hazel, he'd learned very early on that he wasn't capable of winning against Hazel in a fight. After all, Arthur was a poor fighter in close combat.

And brawling happened to be Hazel's speciality.

A quick look over the man presented why that was very easily.

"I see." Arthur replied, his eyes flicking over the girl properly. "Girl, do you have a name?"

"I do," The girl stepped forward, brushing some of her hair into place with an open hand. "My name is Cinder Fall."

The name presented nothing of interest, and so Arthur moved on. "You have weapons," He pointed it out, knowing that it was obvious but this was just as much of a test as it was anything else. "Should I suspect that you know how to use them?"

"I know how to use them perfectly well." Cinder answered him, getting visibly angry and balling her hands down into fists as she took a half-step forward in his direction. "I've trained at Ha-"

" _Haven?_ " Arthur cut her off with a disapproving click of the tongue. "And are you here because you were thrown out or because you left? You certainly are no graduate."

"I left." Cinder murmured.

It was enough. Besides, having another person with them that could negotiate in a town was a good thing. Perhaps this girl wouldn't be so useless after all.

"Very well then." Arthur turned on his heel and began to lead the rest of them out of the church and finally out of Hinagiku. "Now, girl, you should understand that the three of us are on an important mission and that will take priority over you. Are we clear?"

The girl's eyes flicked down, and she looked even frustrated by the words, but she accepted what he'd said. "I understand." She repeated.

That settled it. They had a temporary travel companion.

If she was smart, she would remember to pull her own weight.

Arthur hesitated for a moment, looking the three of them over before looking at Tyrian and nodding. The man didn't need verbal orders to know that he was being told to take the vanguard while they travelled. A quick nod to Hazel solidified their positions as the largest member of their group took the flank.

In a way, they'd taken these formations so many times that they didn't even need to discuss it.

And Cinder fell into it well enough. She didn't ask questions, and that was a good thing. Of course, the travel formation wasn't necessarily critical for them to be able to do things, but for him and Hazel they had never quite gotten used to dropping them.

Hazel had been a huntsman for years before the Grimm had gone missing. Arthur himself had involvement in that background, though he was a rare Atlesian Specialist on top of being a huntsman.

Things had changed, of course.

Cinder looked at the three of them, and Arthur did his best to ignore her. He had to keep his eyes on Tyrian since he and Hazel both knew that if the boy couldn't get a good gauge of the area, he would be useless. The girl wouldn't know that.

But he heard her fall back to walk a little bit closer to Hazel, if only for a little while.

And so Arthur decided that it was for the best if he listened in.

"Where are you three going?" Cinder spoke quietly, clearly not wanting to bother Arthur or Tyrian. It made Arthur wonder why the girl would want to keep away from Tyrian.

He was willing to bet that it was the tail.

"We're trying to find something." Hazel explained in as few words as possible. Something that should have been expected. "Ponds with black water, but it's more like blood. Sound familiar?"

Cinder was staring at Hazel in some disbelief over what the man had just said, and that just left Arthur silently raising an eyebrow in interest. Deciding that it was for the best that someone intelligent drove this conversation, Arthur decided to drop back so that he was with Hazel and the girl.

But the girl shook her head. It was a sign of a lie if Arthur had ever seen one.

"You best speak truthfully, girl." Arthur spoke up, knowing that it would be for the best if he was the one to extract any information. "If you lie to us, well-" Arthur's gaze strayed over to where Tyrian was walking at their vanguard. "It wouldn't end well for you, I assure you."

"It sounds familiar." Cinder finally answered, not sounding at all confident when she said those words. "I think I might have seen something like that in a dream-"

Hazel and Arthur exchanged a look.

"A dream?" Hazel asked, his voice as low as ever. "What was this dream about?"

"It was just a dream." Cinder replied to them, her amber eyes flicking between the two of them. "Are you three chasing a fairy tale or something?"

Hazel didn't answer Cinder, just looked over at Arthur. Arthur frowned from beneath his mustache, but decided to say something anyways. "One could say that, I suppose." He laced his fingers around his wrist as he walked with his arms behind his back. "But you must remember that nothing is without basis."

"You-"

"What was this dream like?" Hazel cut Cinder off before she could say anything else. The girl looked down at the ground in front of her and it looked like her hands had balled into fists in some frustration with the situation at hand. Arthur doubted that she would do anything, but he remembered to stay cautious. If she attacked, the three of them would easily be able to take the girl down.

That said, he doubted Cinder would attack.

"There was a pool of black water, like blood. LIke you said." She raised a hand, brushing her bangs out of her left eye for just a second. Arthur watched her closely. It almost looked like she was in pain. "A woman grew from it." Cinder shook her head again. "Nonsense from a dream."

"Did anything else happen?" Hazel continued his line of questioning, as calm as ever.

"She said something to me but I don't quite remember what it was." Cinder murmured, watching the ground in front of them as they walked. Arthur followed her gaze for a second before flicking up to see that Tyrian had paused, crouched low to the ground and with an open palm pressed to it. Of course, the man had probably lost track of them

Arthur decided that it was his turn to question Cinder now. "And once this dream was over-" He asked. "Was there anything abnormal?"

"No." Cinder replied, looking up at him. Her hair continued to obscure that left eye of hers, and Arthur had to fight back the need to order her into taming it. Such a style would never go over well in Atlas.

"I see." Arthur grimaced, finally catching up to Tyrian and tapping the man on the shoulder as he passed.

"Why do you two care?"

"Shared experiences, of course." Arthur replied. Tyrian stood up now and began to walk with them. "Tyrian-" He snapped his eye over in the faunus' direction, hoping that he'd be able to give some orders and get an easy enough response.

"Yes?" Tyrian asked, stepping in close.

"Show her your scars would you?"

The thin man reached for the flaps of his jacket, and Arthur narrowed his eyes and rolled them. "Not _those_ ones, you beast."

Tyrian's expression sank visibly and he nodded slowly. The thin man came to a stop and the others all stopped with him. They watched as Tyrian began to remove his gauntlets, closely followed after by his bracers.

Hazel held them as Tyrian began to unwrap the bandages that covered his arms to reveal that they were scarred over, in nearly every free patch of skin, with the same symbol every time. In some spots, it looked like they had been branded on, but in others, it looked like they had been carved into Tyrian's flesh. Always the same crest. An eye, surrounded by arches and circles, with points on all sides that faced outwards. At the bottom, five symbols that looked like shards of Dust.

The reason that Arthur had begun travelling with Hazel and Tyrian in the first place was that they had those scars in common.

It was just that Tyrian bore the worst of it. Arthur got off with one scar on the back of his neck. Hazel had one that rested over his heart and spread out in scar tissue.

Cinder's eyes widened as they traveled over the symbols on Tyrian's arm, and she even raised a hand to touch. Tyrian jerked back away from her before she could make such contact.

"They mean something to you?" Arthur asked, watching the girl closely.

Cinder nodded slowly, lips pursed. "Yes." She replied. "I could have sworn that I'd seen-"

"Stay with us." Hazel grumbled, reaching up to the opening in his shirt and pulling it down just slightly past where scar tissue mixed with body hair to reveal the top of a brand of his own. "If you know, it's best you're in good company."

"But it's just-"

"She-" Tyrian spoke now, eyes widening as he began to wrap his arm back again and hide those scars. "She's seen Our Goddess?" He stepped in towards Cinder, but neither Hazel nor Arthur made any effort to stop him. Tyrian was harmless, just a bit of a scare if someone didn't know what they were getting into.

"Yes, it appears so." Arthur replied with a slight grimace as Cinder took the first step back away from Tyrian. "Do let the girl breathe, Tyrian."

"She _chose_ you!" Tyrian exclaimed, getting even closer. "Another warrior selected by our Goddess to-"

"Tyrian." Hazel barked the man's name and it was more than enough to shut him up. It worked. Tyrian shrank back, already sliding back into his gear again so that they could begin travelling again. _"Enough."_

"Of course, Hazel-" Tyrian whimpered. "I've done nothing wrong, not I, no not me-"

"Go back to the point." Hazel commanded, and Tyrian looked between them with hurt eyes before slinking off and away from the three of them.

"Walk with me, girl." Arthur ordered, blinking. "We'll explain more tonight when we have time to rest and there won't be any..." His eyes flicked around the area, checking that they were alone. "Intruders."

Cinder nodded and walked up alongside Watts. Arthur watched her as he walked, deeply interested to know how she would fit into things.

Soon enough he would find out, it seemed.

* * *

Blake hadn't been able to find any sort of salvation in Vale.

She'd managed to trade a night of honest work for a place to stay at one of the local inns, but such arrangements wouldn't last her forever. Blake knew that, and the inevitability that she was going to have to make her way out of the city at any moment was something that was all too apparent to her.

Even still, Blake didn't know where to go.

Outside of the city walls, there were two major threats that Blake was able to easily identify. The first was the gigantic grimm that wandered so close by. Sometimes, it looked like it was so large that it's horns could have blocked out the sun, or cradled it like a mother would hold a sickly child. That was something that Blake didn't want to risk getting too close to again if she could help it.

On the other hand, there was Adam. The good thing about being able to rest for a night was that Blake had finally gotten a chance to deal with her injuries. Most of the bruising was fading quickly enough, along with a number of more shallow injuries and scrapes.

Her ear would scar, though. Blake was sure of that.

Sometimes she'd have to think back to her father, who had lost a tail in a struggle many years before she'd been born. He'd always spoken of the loss as a point of _pride._ A battle scar that nobody could take away from him. Still, Blake knew it hurt him.

Her mother had notched ears too, though hers had been pierced through by teeth rather than taken off by some blade. Her mother had turned the meaning of her scars as well- she used them for cosmetics, always wearing golden earrings that Blake couldn't help but to love.

In a way, having that notched ear of her own was almost like being close to them.

Of course, she doubted that there would be any pride over how she had attained the injury.

But then again, Blake doubted she'd get to find out. Going home was too difficult, as things stood. Too dangerous. Her family still probably hated her.

She couldn't blame them.

But Blake wasn't much of a fan of staying in one place. It was something that had never seemed to suit her quite right.

Qrow had sounded like he knew the feeling, in those few minutes that Blake had run into him at the bar. In a way, she almost felt like she could trust the man.

 _Almost._

But, he had presented her with an opportunity to find a place where she could blend in for a little while. It was something that Blake didn't have all that much time to thing on, and so she had to make a choice.

She'd made her decision at around noon that day, and had taken the trip to Beacon Academy by foot, Gambol Shroud at her back and the bow that she'd cut the night before still fastened in place over her ears.

Seeing the academy in person was very different from what Blake had initially imagined. It was massive, with a tower that stood watch over the entire building. In some ways, imaging that this place was a school was a difficult task to undertake.

But, Blake knew enough about the academy's reputation.

She knew enough that she could reliably get by looking like she knew what to do.

Surprisingly, there was little that she had to go through to get through the front door. There was no massive security, and so Blake had to rely on what she'd gotten the night before from Qrow. She had to find a professor Ozpin, and tell them that Qrow had sent her.

That was all.

If she had to go through some sort of entrance exam, Blake was sure that she would be able to pass. She had years of fighting under her belt, first to defend herself, and then for a cause later. When Qrow had suggested that she come there, it had been with missing information.

He didn't know that she had decided to run from a violent separatist organization. He didn't know that he had relatively high ranking members of their leadership following after her now.

If Ozpin found all of that out, Blake was sure that she was going to end up being denied from the academy in a heartbeat.

Blake made it into the building and began to just walk through the halls, following after directional signs until she found something. Naturally, it wasn't so easy, but she did her best.

To her surprise, she found Qrow wandering the halls with a bored expression, like he almost had a good reason to be there at the academy. He saw her and his eyes flicked over her, like Qrow was looking for something. It was enough to put Blake completely on edge.

"Hey kid," Qrow greeted her with a slight nod. "So you decided to show?"

"Yes," Blake replied, watching him closely with narrowed eyes as he stretched. He leaned back against a wall, and Blake tried not to say anything.  
Qrow smirked. "You'll fit right in." He paused and pushed off of the wall in a motion that was full of nothing but swagger. Something about it made Blake's skin crawl. It reminded her of Adam, in a way. "So," Qrow spoke up, waving a hand to signal for her to follow after him. "You're what-"

"Eighteen." Blake replied, feeling somewhat annoyed with the question, mostly because it was one that he'd already asked. "I already told you that."

Qrow shrugged, ignoring Blake's jab. "Right." He mumbled. "I've got a niece your age, she goes here."

"Right." Blake mumbled as she followed after Qrow into an elevator. She watched him, how he waved his scroll in front of a sensor nonchalantly before the elevator began to move. Blake did her best to relax, but nothing was enough. If she needed to, she was ready to run. The elevator complicated things, but Blake was fast.

She was good at running away from things.

"You ever been to an academy before?" Qrow asked, trying to break the awkwardness.

"No." Blake replied.

"Where'd you learn to fight?"

"Does it matter if I'm capable?"

Qrow nodded and hummed, even _smirking_ as the door opened. "Just play nice when you talk to Oz." He said finally. "They've seen plenty just like you."

Blake stepped out of the elevator, and realized that Qrow wasn't coming along with her. That was wrong. It was upsetting.

"Wait-"

"They'll be up in a few minutes." Qrow said with a slight shrug as the door closed, leaving Blake there alone in an office that she'd never been in before.

She looked around the office and took a seat in front of the empty desk, unsure of what she was supposed to do there. In the end, all she had to do was sit and wait.

* * *

Ozpin exited their meeting with Professor Glynda Goodwitch with an empty mug and more of the day to day business at the academy well taken care of. With that meeting over, they knew that they were going to have some time to relax before inevitably ending up in a meeting with either Jacques Schnee or James.

Or both.

Neither was _particularly_ favorable, but for completely different reasons.

For now, they were hoping to go up to their office and refill their mug and take a moment to check over their schedule. What they didn't expect was to meet Qrow just outside of the elevator that led up to their office. As was normal with Qrow, Ozpin couldn't trust that he wasn't up to something.

"Hey Oz." Qrow greeted them before Ozpin got a chance to speak.

"Qrow." Ozpin replied calmly. "Is there any reason that you're staking out my office?"

"Yeah." Qrow said with a shrug. "There's a kid up there. You should talk to her."

"Qrow-"

"It'll be worth your while." Qrow pushed off of the wall. "Just talk to her and try to figure her out. She's either a criminal, or she's running from something."

Ozpin sighed heavily, since that was about the exact thing that they didn't want to hear. "I'll take care of it." Ozpin finally said before focusing on Qrow and narrowing their eyes. "Shouldn't you be doing something?"

Qrow shrugged. "Nah," He said as he stretched slightly, putting his hands behind his head and standing confidently. "I can give my report later."

Ozpin frowned and nodded before turning and making their way into the now-open elevator before riding up to their office. They hadn't expected any company, but if Qrow thought it was so important, they also had no reason to doubt him. The trip was short, and when Ozpin was lucky enough to depart the elevator, they were immediately greeted by the sight of a young woman, sitting with her back to the elevator and facing their desk.

Very interesting indeed.


	7. Minos

"Now tell me, James-" Jacques spoke with barbs on his tongue, like he was hoping that by pointing things out he would somehow expedite a process. "Why hasn't that _thing_ been destroyed yet?"

This was a conversation that James felt like he'd gone through a thousand times before, but on different occasions and often under different circumstances. The only thing that had changed _this_ time was the venue. Normally, a meeting between Jacques Schnee and himself would be done in either Jacques' private study at the Schnee Manor, or at James' office at Atlas Academy, where James normally spent most of his time.

Today, it was in James' temporary office that he'd taken when he'd arrived at Beacon Academy for his diplomatic stay in Vale. He didn't particularly care for such meetings, but this was what was considered necessary to protect the people of Remnant, and so he stayed in Vale.

The fact that Jacques had decided to pursue him that far of a distance was ultimately out of James' hands.

And so, despite Jacques' obvious frustrations, James stayed calm. He schooled his expression into an unwavering one and inentionally didn't drink from the glass full of amber liquid in front of him. The fact that Jacques had come to him with a bottle of fine cognac was no coincidence. Jacques had come looking to make an outrageously unbalanced deal, and he'd thought that liquor and his children were the bargaining pieces that he needed to achieve it.

James wouldn't let himself fall for those tricks, though.

"Jacques, you must understand." James answered calmly. "Elimination of a grimm of that size is a risky process that can't be taken on too hastily unless we want to risk significant losses."

"And what about you, James?" Jacques asked, leaning in slightly and narrowing his eyes in a challenge. "Surely a warrior of your _calibre-_ "

"I-" James cut Jacques off, leaning back in his seat. "Am unfortunately far past my prime." He got up and walked across the office so that he could glance out the window and see the monster wandering outside the city. "And a beast of that size isn't able to be taken on alone, regardless of skill and experience. Not without-" James stopped himself, realizing that he was about to let out far too secret information. "It doesn't matter. We're working on assembling a team to take it on in concert with Headmaster Ozpin."

"Yes," Jacques rolled his eyes, watching James too closely. "But of course. You're creating an elite team-"

"Yes." James tried to cut Jacques off, though he knew that it wasn't going to be enough to fulfil what they needed to do. "It's ideal that we examine the best possible balance to ensure that we can... minimize losses." James hated talking like this. He'd trained himself into this sort of disconnected manner of speech long ago. The subtext was there. Too easily noticed.

Losses meant deaths. He and Jacques both knew that. And they both knew that on some level, deaths were unavoidable when it came to this sort of work.

"I'm sure that you could handle this easily enough if you weren't bogged down with Ozpin's..." Jacques stood up now, following James so that the two of them stared out at the world outside. Both of them were watching that Grimm now, instead of just James. Something about that made James angry. He knew for a fact that Jacques didn't see it the same way.

" _Bureaucracy_." Jacques finally finished.

"In situations like this, diplomacy is the best method." James explained as calmly as he could manage. "Nobody wants to sacrifice more than we have to." His eyes narrowed and his gaze slipped over towards Jacques. "I'm sure you are well aware of the shortages that we've been facing."

"And yet you refuse my contract." Jacques replied, watching James out of the corner of his eye. "It's truly baffling, General."

"Dust alone doesn't fix this." James mumbled. "We need manpower and other supplies in addition to Dust. And Remnant hasn't been as forthcoming with such things as we would like."

"And your military?"

"Unsuited to a threat of this nature." James didn't waver from where he was standing or his point of view. He knew better than to listen to Jacques, especially when he was sure that Jacques was doing his best to turn him away from what he needed to do. "Trust me, Jacques, I don't make these decisions lightly."

Jacques took a step away from James, walking back over to the desk to pick up the glass that he'd poured of cognac from himself before drinking from it. "I just don't understand why a man as powerful as you is waiting on others." Jacques set the glass back down on the desk, leaning back against it and watching James the entire time and being careful to examine everything he did. "Ozpin seems to be dragging his feet."

"Ozpin-" James spoke up, cutting Jacques off before he could continue once again. It was a surprisingly common thing that he had to do, and that was something that James never liked doing. But it was always necessary. "-is in control over much more in this situation than I am. _Their_ forces are the ones that would be put at risk here, not mine."

Jacques hummed. "Either way," He said, keeping himself calm. "I've come here to make a deal with you James, and I expect that you'll make up your mind."

"Jacques-"

"You can't do anything without my help, James. Do remember that."

With that Jacques was leaving, and James couldn't help but feel like his role was in question. He was going to have to make a decision soon, and James knew that. He could trust that Jacques was going to create a deadline for him out of nothing. The man had business sense that couldn't be denied, and Jacques knew how to use it.

After that, it was going to be up to James to make sure that nothing went wrong. He was going to have to do anything that he could to help the world.

If that meant signing a contract with Jacques that was going to end up being unfavorable, he was going to have to make a decision.

They didn't pay him to make small decisions.

* * *

Ruby pouted and hopped back and forth in the arena that she and Yang had decided to commandeer for the evening. Yang didn't comment on it too much, since they were both feeling kind of antsy after a long day of classes. Now, they were just taking their chance in the arena before heading home because they'd be able to practice against simulation enemies. Yang liked this sort of training, it was better than fist fights in the yard with their dad.

Despite being a simulation, it always felt more real. The false monsters made it that way.

"C'mon, give me another one!" Ruby called, watching Yang as she began fiddling with one of the controls on a dashboard behind Professor Goodwitch's podium. "Something bigger this time!"

"Yeah, give me a minute!" Yang called back as she began to scroll through option after option of simulated grimm. She paused for a second, finding something that made her pause. It was a grimm, of course, but it was familiar in a way.

She knew why. She knew Ruby would too.

Yang made her selection by pressing her open palm to the control panel below her, and soon enough a grimm began to knit itself into existence out of hard light. It wasn't like a real monster, of course- the only way that it was able to do damage was because of the Dust woven into the mechanisms to create the beast. When it hit, then there would be a small dust explosion to match the strength on impact.

And even then, it could only exist in a specialized arena like this one.

The grimm that formed was quite a bit bigger than Ruby was, and definitely also taller than Yang was, and Yang wasn't exactly short. It had a hunched back, with back legs that were definitely that of a cow, and a wide barrel chest leading up into an upper body that almost resembled that of a man. A large, bull-like head topped the image off.

All in all, it stood about two feet over Ruby's head when it straightened up completely.

This was almost like the monster that was lingering outside of the city.

Almost.

"Whoa." Ruby sounded absolutely amazed when she looked up at the grimm that Yang had chosen for her. It was merely a construct formed from Dust and light, but it was close enough in form to the real deal with it was manageable. "I like it!"

"Think you can take it?" Yang called back, leaning forward over the console so that she could get a better view of Ruby.

"Yeah, I think so." Ruby called, taking a few steps back and falling into her fighting stance with Crescent Rose held in front of her. She was ready to go, and Yang was tired of waiting. She slammed an open palm down onto the button that would release the grimm from its position. If she had to jump in, Yang wouldn't have been afraid to.

She just wanted to see what Ruby could do first.

The grimm began to move though. It started by picking its head up and looking around in simulated curiosity. That didn't last long though, since the second that it got its eyes on Ruby it was preparing to charge. Yang knew fully well that Ruby wasn't going to move until the monster did, just like both of them had been taught early on by their father and uncle.

Ruby stands there though, seeming confident and seeming like she was mostly ready for whatever ended up coming at her. The grimm lowered itself slightly and began to rush in Ruby's direction, head down and horns pointed out as it raced at Ruby. Yang waited, watching as the false grimm attacked her little sister.

But if there was anything that Ruby had on her side, it was the fact that she was fast. Not just a little bit fast either, she had the ability to move at blinding speeds if she needed to. Her little sister almost seemed to disintegrate with her movement from the time to time.

Ruby seemed to shift into a torrent of flower petals, as she moved around the arena to try and get a good read on the monster that she was fighting. It didn't run into a wall or anything, which was something that Yang suspected her little sister was trying to make happen. Her little sister's eyes narrowed, and she launched herself at the grimm with the sound of a gunshot that was being used to propel her across the arena even faster.

The grimm charged Ruby again, head still down and this time, it was too fast, as she was about to use Crescent Rose in the hopes that she could use the recoil to help her switch direction. The grimm's horns collided with Ruby's abdomen. The dust in its frame sparked into a flash of red, and it was enough to blast the small girl back across the arena and into the wall.

Yang almost felt her heart stop, when she realized that her little sister's aura was flickering somewhat violently. That was something that she was going to worry about, for sure. She didn't think that she was going to need to go in there and fight with Ruby herself, but Yang kept it in mind that she was going to need to stay alert for her little sister's sake anyways.

Over the sound of the grimm's low breathing (simulated, Yang had to remind herself. This wasn't the real thing,) Yang was able to hear the sound of Ruby letting out a quiet sound of pain. Hearing that only served to make Yang angry, and she knew exactly why.

"Ruby!"

"Got it!" Ruby called back, moving again and holding her scythe up in front of her so that she'd be able to fight once the grimm got close again. It charged at her, this time reaching out with those almost-human arms to grab Ruby.

Ruby was against the wall though, she was going to end up being unable to avoid the grimm. She slipped away from the grimm just barely, swinging Crescent Rose in the hopes that it would make contact. It did land, though. The blade sliced at the simulation, but it wasn't anywhere near enough to do real damage. If anything, it seemed more like it was just clanging off of the grimm's hardlight armor.

It left Yang to wonder whether or not she would be able to take this thing. A grimm like this was the kind that would require someone fighting it to either take it out at a distance, or try and take it on really close up.

Yang knew that she would have been getting as close to that thing as she possibly could if she was in the arena.

But that wasn't what she was here for. Ruby had asked for her to choose an enemy for her, and she'd seemed to have meant it.

Ruby activated her semblance again, using it as a way that she was going to be able to move out of the grimm's way and try to get behind it. Maybe for someone like Ruby, that was the best possible strategy. She wasn't the best at close up fighting, and Yang wasn't sure that Ruby was going to have enough space to really use her weapon to its fullest potential.

Yang knew Ruby though, probably better than anyone else in the world. She had speed on her side.

Another hit from the grimm connected though, and Ruby's aura flashed again. Yang's eyes flashed up to the scoreboard to see that Ruby was still doing well enough- 67%, but to have dropped that much aura in only two hits was scary.

"Helping little sister out?" A husky voice asked over Yang's shoulder. Yang looked back to see that it was her Uncle Qrow, looking calm as ever and carrying his flask in his hand. She didn't know what he wanted, but she could wait this out.

"Hey uncle Qrow." Yang said, doing her best to keep her eye on Ruby as her little sister tried to launch herself up to higher ground so that she could fire on the grimm instead of getting locked down. "Just doing some practice."

"So you chose a Minos?" Qrow asked, leaning against the bar in front of the two of them. "What made you choose that?"

Yang shrugged. "Ruby asked me to choose a grimm for her. It reminded me of-"

"Got it." Qrow answered. "You've been watching, right?"

"Yeah." Yang replied blinking. She heard her uncle laugh quietly, and that was all that she really needed to tell her that Qrow was doubting her about what she was capable of. "I am!"

"I know," Qrow replied with a quiet laugh. "I trust you." He paused, watching it. "You've been thinking about how to fight it?"

"I think I'd do pretty well." Yang replied, thinking hard on what she was capable of. She looked up at the aura meter that was displaying for Ruby. "I mean, I'd be able to outclass it pretty quickly."

Qrow hummed, relaxing slightly. "Can't rely on that, firecracker." He said quietly. "Just like how your sister can't rely on a scythe in a fight like this."

"You use a scythe." Yang retorted. "Isn't-"

"I'd use a sword for this." Qrow answered with a shrug. "Don't have the space for a scythe."

Down in the arena, another hit landed against Ruby, but this time she was able to use the curve of Crescent Rose and her semblance to launch herself around the grimm so that she could move behind it. It wasn't easy, but between the two things, it seemed to put some pretty significant damage against the simulation. "You think she can win this?"

"Yeah," Qrow replied, watching the fight just as intently as Yang was. "I know you could too. You're both good. She's just not in the best matchup."

Yang nodded. She knew that Qrow was right. She knew that once this fight was over, she was going to have time to go into the ring for one fight before she and Ruby would have to go home for the night. "Right." Yang said quietly.

Ruby cried out again, this time activating her semblance again and spinning, firing shot after shot from Crescent Rose the entire time and creating a spray of bullets as quickly as she could possibly manage as the grimm got closer and closer.

It came into Ruby's range, and that was when Ruby figured it out. She pulled a lever on Crescent Rose a little bit harder than she should have, and then the blade on the weapon extended and changed angle.

With that, Ruby was able to slice through the grimm, catching it by the neck. She pulled the lever again, and the angle of her blade switched back to its normal curve. One last gunshot provided the extra recoil that Ruby had needed to cut through the grimm's neck and finally behead it.

The grimm dissipated instantly, and Ruby was breathing impossibly hard. Yang leaned forward, worried, and Qrow reached out to just pat her on the shoulder. "She's fine, firecracker." He said quietly. "You knew she could do it."

"Yeah." Yang answered quietly before realizing that she should try and catch her little sister's attention. "Ruby!"

Ruby looked up at her and saw Qrow there. That seemed to get her excited, just a little bit. Ruby almost seemed to bounce towards the stairs that would let her out of the arena and up towards where Yang and Qrow were.

"Hey!" Ruby called, dropping down onto a bench and resting Crescent Rose beside her as she tried to make herself comfortable. She sighed and looked up at Yang. "What was that thing?"

"That-" Qrow spoke up with a quiet laugh. "Was what we call a Minos. Not much of a problem anymore, but they're tough."

Ruby looked at Yang and sighed. "I'm going to make you fight one of those sometime."

"Yeah," Yang laughed, seating herself next to her little sister. "Kind of expected that." She paused, quiet. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Ruby replied, looking back up at the screen to see that her aura had dropped pretty far. Never a good thing, but since they were at Beacon safe and sound, it was less of a worry. "How'd I do?"

"Good." Yang answered, looking up at Qrow who nodded along to show his own personal approval. Ruby smiled sweetly and dropped her head back against the wall.

"I never want to fight something like that again." Ruby said quietly, still breathing hard and seeming tired. "That was…"

"Really strong?" Qrow laughed as he took a seat, reaching out to Crescent Rose to make sure that the weapon was folded back in on itself before leaning forward with his hands in front of him and making himself comfortable. "Yeah, I remember my first one of those."

"You do?" Ruby picked her head up, watching their uncle now. "How-"

"Well." Qrow said with a shrug. "It was a mission with your mom and dad. We ran into one, it gave us trouble. Knocked me out in one go. Pretty sure it got your dad pretty bad too." He paused, and it was enough to leave Yang wondering whether or not Qrow was omitting part of the truth or not about things. It definitely wouldn't have been a first for him. "You did good, kid."

Ruby smiled widely and picked her head up to look over at Yang. "Do you want to-"

Yang paused, thinking hard on the question because she knew that it was probably for the best that she did. There was some part of her that didn't really even want to fight that night. Especially after seeing Ruby get so roughed up. Worry got in the way sometimes.

"I dunno," She said finally with a shrug. "Seems easy." Yang knew that it probably wasn't going to be enough to convince Ruby and Yang, but the least that she could do was at least try to put on a somewhat convincing performance.

"Yang." Ruby responded, seeming slightly annoyed but not nearly as much as she was trying to play things up. "C'mon, let's get your butt kicked."

Yang rolled her eyes and got up, stretching slightly before looking over at Qrow, who seemed to be watching her with at least some interest. "Yeah, fine." She said finally with a shrug. "Hey, uncle Qrow?"

"Yeah, Firecracker?"

"Choose one for me?"

"No fair." Ruby pouted.

Qrow raised an eyebrow, but soon enough he was nodding along and standing up, walking over to the console and beginning to fiddle with it. "What do you want to do, kiddo?" He asked, looking back at Yang over his shoulder as she began to make her way down to the arena. "Quick workout or some work?"

Yang thought hard on it. She did want to be able to go home with Ruby so that they didn't end up missing dinner with their dad that night. She shrugged and smiled up at her uncle finally. "Something quick."

Qrow leaned in and grinned down at her, watching as she hopped into the arena. "Alright." Qrow finally said with a slight smile. "Just say when."

Yang nodded and dropped into her fighting stance, activating Ember Celica so that they expanded over the size of the bracelets that they normally were in. SHe watched, waiting for Qrow to choose something, then he finally chose something for her to go up against.

A trio of ursae.

Simple enough.

When Yang threw the first punch, she smiled.

* * *

"So," Ozpin leaned back in their seat, crossing one leg over the other and watching Blake so closely that it was enough to make her skin crawl. "Qrow Branwen has recommended you for this academy, but he's given me no warning about your presence here whatsoever." They watched her so closely, until Blake finally spoke up.

"Yes." She said, keeping her voice hard and holding her head up high. "I'm... new to Vale."

"I see." Ozpin watched Blake with narrowed hazel eyes. "And your name?"

"Blake." She answered, calmly. "Blake Belladonna." Once she gave her last name, Blake watched Ozpin's expressions closely, looking for any sign that it was a name that they recognized. They didn't react to it, which was something that Blake was glad for. The fewer people that knew her name, the better.

"Very well." Ozpin replied, their expression somewhat tight despite everything about how they were sitting and acting seeming to be nothing more than plain relaxation. It was very much a conversation that Blake didn't want to have to take part in, but she knew fully well that it was necessary. Required even. Mostly, Blake couldn't shake the feeling of being on edge. "And what makes you think that you belong at this school?"

Blake paused, trying to think of an answer that she could give without accidentally tipping anyone off to where she had come from. She had a feeling that she was going to need a canned answer that she could give anytime that people asked her where she came from anyways. Nobody wanted to be friends with a member of a separatist group.

Not to mention, she was running. Anyone that knew that truth was a liability.

So Blake had to give an answer. "I grew up outside the kingdoms." She explained herself, keeping her expression steely and balling one of her hands into a fist in her lap. "If you couldn't fight, you couldn't survive."

"I suppose that is true." Ozpin answered, calmly. "You have a weapon?"

"I do."

"And semblance?"

"Activated." Blake responded without a second of hesitation, because the less chances that were presented for her to be questioned the better. "I can hold my own in a battle."

"Blake," Ozpin spoke calmly. "You claim to have learned to fight because you were from outside the kingdoms, but that's an excuse at best." They paused, peering at her over the mug of coffee that they held in front of them. "The need to fight grimm has dropped for the average person."

Blake swallowed, knowing that she'd been caught in a lie. She could get out of this, though, she reminded herself. "Bandits were a problem." The words slipped out before Blake could even think about them. It was a half truth at best, but Blake was sure that it was going to be enough. "Everyone learned to fight in case we saw a raid occur."

"Very well." Ozpin set their mug of coffee down on the desk in front of them before reaching into their desk to find something. Blake sat there calmly, waiting and letting her eyes flick around the area in case she could find something of interest there. There were massive gears which seemed to be decorative that turned above them and behind Ozpin's desk. The windows were so tall that they made up most of the wall. Outside, Blake saw a gigantic monster that she'd been aware of during her travels but mostly disinterested in.

If it didn't bother her, she had no reason to worry about it.

The sound of a drawer closing jolted Blake back to attention. She sat up tall and let her hands rest in her lap in front of her as Ozpin set down a sheet of paper and a pen in front of her. "You'll have to do some things for me before I can grant you entry into my academy, miss Belladonna."

"I understand." Blake replied as she reached out and slid the paper a bit closer to her. When she glanced down at it, she saw that it was a simple registration sheet with an attached entrance exam. There had to be more to it, Blake thought to herself. There was no way that a few sheets of paper was all that she needed to do before getting into the academy. They hadn't even checked whether she could actually fight or not.

"Take your time, Miss Belladonna." Ozpin said calmly as they leaned back into their seat. She looked up at them, obviously distrusting, and only earned a nod in response. With that, Blake let out a quiet sigh and began to fill out the paperwork that she'd been given.

In a way, she felt like she needed to go ahead and create a new identity for herself entirely.

For instance, this Blake Belladonna was not a faunus. She had nothing to do with the White Fang, and her family was long since dead. This Blake Belladonna hailed from a village in Vacuo, not the capital of Menagerie. This Blake Belladonna had learned to fight because it was necessary for her to protect a village instead of needing to learn to fight for a cause.

In some ways, this Blake Belladonna was a better person, despite the fact that there wasn't a single thing about her that was real beyond her name and race.

As soon as her first set of forms was complete, Blake slid it back across the table to Ozpin, who picked them up and began to leaf through the information idly. "Do take your time to fill out that exam." Ozpin said calmly. "I will have to take the time to arrange a combat exam with someone from the academy, but your academic scores must be taken into account first."

Blake nodded, closed her eyes for just a second, and began to fill out the questions on the exam. Most of them were on inane topics. Some reached into history, which Blake had read enough about to get her through. Questions on Dust were manageable enough. The ones that really worried Blake were the ones that seemed to be an attempt at a personality assessment.

In all likelihood, this was an attempt to make sure that the students at Beacon Academy were considered mentally sound. If there was any place where the new Blake Belladonna's excuses were going to fall apart, it was here. This was where she needed to construct herself as strongly as possible and hope that the person that she played at being was going to be enough.

And so Blake began answering questions with half-truths, hoping that it was going to be enough. Of course, she had a feeling that some of her lies were probably easily seen through enough. Not necessarily by the average person, but Ozpin probably could.

One didn't become a headmaster at an academy for Hunters so easily, after all.

She glanced up at them for a little while to watch as they silently scrolled through something on their scroll like they'd be able to find something of interest there. They were just doing their best to entertain themself, Blake realized. It was one less thing to worry about.

Blake's eyes dropped back down to the exam as she finished it off before finally closing the pamphlet and sliding it across the desk to Ozpin.

Ozpin looked up at her and down at the packet before pulling it in close to them. "Miss Belladonna-"

"Yes?" Blake asked, shifting uneasily in her seat.

"If you wish, you may explore the academy grounds. I will need a bit of time to grade your exam and make some arrangements." Ozpin leaned back in their seat, making themself more comfortable there as they relaxed into their seat. "I assure you that you won't find much of interest this late in the day, but it's worth exploring."

Blake was about to get up when something came to mind that screamed at her that said that she needed to pause before leaving. She needed to ask a question. "Thank you," She said, deciding to be as diplomatic about things as possible. "If I am accepted-" Blake began her question, "Will I have a place to stay?"

Ozpin paused, and nodded slowly. "Of course, Miss Belladonna. The academy offers room and board to anyone who needs them. Of course, normally it would require tuition be paid but-"

Blake swallowed. "But?"

"But seeing as you've come with few resources, I'm sure we'll be able to arrange something."

It was a relief. Blake stood up and nodded. "Thank you, Headmaster." She said calmly, reaching back to check that she still had her weapon on her and ready.

"We'll be in touch." Ozpin said calmly, gesturing to the door so that Blake could leave them alone. With that, Blake left the office, and went back down to the academy, feeling impossibly nervous but also somewhat relieved.

This had the possibility of being the beginning of a new life for her.

She just needed someone to believe her lies and half-truths.


	8. Alliances in Doubt

" _Nothing_." Arthur hissed the word out with so much anger on his lips that it only served to make Hazel roll his eyes. Venom was dripping from Arthur's every pore, his every word.

They were all feeling the same frustrations as the four of them set up a camp for the night. The entire day had been spent on the road, with only one opportunity taken for them to rest. Now that it was getting late and the sky was growing dark, they were getting ready for the long night ahead of them. "We've been travelling for months, and we still find _nothing._ "

Arthur rolled out his bedding on the hard ground, probably hoping that he'd be able to rest first.

As for Hazel, he was the most frustrated of the four of them that day. That mostly had to do with the fact that he was being expected to put up with the chatter from everyone else that he was travelling with. For instance, Arthur had been whining for most of the evening.

Tyrian had gotten more and more frustrated with the way that things were progressing. He was antsy, and that was something that Hazel understood. They all had the same problems, and seeing as the man was poorly rested it made things difficult. They needed for everyone in the group to be on top of their game.

As for their newest addition...

Cinder _seemed_ capable enough. She was young, and Hazel was fairly certain that had he still had a family to call his own, his daughter would have been about the same age as Cinder. The girl was strong, and had a good sense for travel and followed directions well enough. That didn't mean that she'd fully proven herself yet, but she seemed more than able to stand up to a journey like the one they were on.

Hazel bit back his frustration with Watts as he dropped his own bag of gear to the ground. He paused, taking a quick look around the area so that he could check that it was indeed safe. Arthur had already made the decision that it was, but Hazel didn't always trust the man's judgement.

He trusted himself more than anything else. Hazel had managed to survive for as long as he had based on instinct, and he wasn't going to ruin a good thing now.

"Set up camp here." Hazel grumbled, looking over at Tyrian, who blinked with wide eyes at him. The man hesitated for a long moment before he nodded slowly and began to search the area for ways to set up a temporary shelter. Hazel sighed and looked over at Cinder.

Best not leave a child to the wolves.

"You." He tilted his head up to catch her attention. "With me."

Cinder nodded and stood up, grabbing her weapon and following after Hazel quietly. She seemed unsure about him, but Hazel figured that she thought it was better than sticking by the others.

He led the two of them into the forest, hoping that they'd find something that could help. Firewood was a priority, for one. "What is it?" Cinder asked.

"We need to make sure that the area is secure." Hazel grumbled quietly. "And I figure you don't want to be left with the other two."

Cinder paused, her eyes narrowed as she followed after him. Hazel paused, giving the girl a chance to catch up to him so that she didn't end up getting left behind. Out in the wilds, they didn't want to risk getting themselves hurt. Hazel wanted to take the fewest risks possible, if only because he knew how Arthur's bedside manner could be and he _really_ didn't want to have to go through that if he didn't have to.

"They're... not so bad, I suppose." Cinder said quietly.

"You'll change your mind soon enough." Hazel answered quietly as he raised his arms so that he could check whether a tree was dead or not. He didn't want to end up signaling anyone or anything to their location by burning green wood. "Are you okay?"

Cinder blinked, watching him closely as Hazel found exactly what he'd needed. With a careful tug, Hazel managed to snap a branch off of the tree and pull it down, satisfied that the wood seemed to be dry and long dead. Hazel began to break it apart into more manageable pieces by hand. He looked over at Cinder, who got the message easily enough and began to take the wood in her arms.

"I'm curious why you'd ask." Cinder replied finally, her voice somewhat low.

"I ask because you're young." Hazel said, snapping off another bough of the tree. "And I assume you aren't used to this sort of thing."

"I have a lot of questions." Cinder said, her voice quiet. Hazel raised an eyebrow. He'd been under the impression that they'd managed to explain everything earlier. Of course, they had left a lot of gaps behind that needed to be filled in at some point.

But of course, Cinder was still new to the cause. Not the she seemed to be fully aware of it just yet.

"What kinds?" Hazel asked, figuring that it was for the best that he at least humored Cinder and gave her a chance to ask her questions. If there were gaps that he could fill in without giving too much away, it wouldn't hurt to answer.

"What is the problem with all of you?" Cinder asked, taking a step forward as Hazel began to place more wood in her arms. "You're so-" Her brow furrowed and she frowned slightly, expression twisting into something akin to a snarl. " _Harsh_."

That was a very good question, but it was also one that Hazel could answer easily enough.

"You have to understand," He mumbled as he turned to step away from the tree that they were harvesting their kindling from. Hazel was satisfied that they'd gotten enough firewood for now, but he still wanted to finish a perimeter check before they went to rest. "We've been travelling for a long time."

Cinder nodded slowly. "How long have you been travelling, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Months." Hazel did his best to mask any emotional uprising in his face. He didn't need Cinder prying too much into his own life. "In some cases, longer than others. Spending a lot of time on the road has made us..." He hesitated. "Testy."

The word wasn't quite good enough.

Cinder nodded, following close after him as he checked the night for something. He stared out into the woods, scanning for anything that could tell them that something was wrong. Nothing was presenting itself, and that almost made Hazel feel more secure. Of course, they were going to need to set up a rotation for people to stand watch.

It wasn't so simple, after all.

"So why are you travelling with them?" Cinder asked him.

"The same reason anyone wanders."

Hazel couldn't help the grimace. He couldn't pretend as though he'd just managed to give a legitimate reason to Cinder by any means because to think of matters as such was disingenuous at best. However, this was a _child_. While it seemed that the girl was well aware of some of the horrors of the world, that didn't mean that Hazel wanted to be the one with the displeasure of exposing her to them.

Besides, he reminded himself. This girl didn't know him. This was just a child trying to find her way just the same as anyone else was.

The only difference is that he had some sort of greater destiny thing hanging over his head. While it appeared that the same may be true for Cinder, Hazel couldn't be sure. At the end of the day, she was barely over the age of twenty and getting thrown into things much bigger than herself.

She stared him down, her mouth opening just slightly as she tried to find the words that she wanted to say to him but none reached her lips. Cinder's eyes flickered away from him, and that was how Hazel knew that he'd managed to get through that line of questioning. For now, some of his secrets would be safe. He didn't have to give up any part of himself to this girl just yet.

Slowly, the two continued along on their patrol. It carried them away from the camp, further and further from what was left of humanity before they finally would back around. When the two of them made their appearance, it seemed that the camp was finally in order.

They didn't have a tent, because it seemed that Arthur and Tyrian had decided that it was more beneficial to use the canvas that they had on them as a canopy above them. It wouldn't serve to keep any bugs out but that wasn't something that Hazel worried about. He was used to bugs.

They all were.

Some for different reasons than others, Hazel had to remind himself.

Cinder and him made their way into the center of the camp, where it looked like Tyrian had constructed a fire pit. Hazel beckoned Cinder over to his side, and soon she was right there, dropping the wood that the two of them had gathered. Hazel didn't think about anything more than he had to.

He just decided to go ahead and begin setting up firewood in a way that would give them the best results.

The only sign that something was amiss was when he had turned after some hesitation so that he could get a flint from his pack. It was an act that he'd done thousands of times before, but still Hazel didn't like lighting fires. Cinder realized what he was doing and spoke.

"Wait." She said. "You don't-"

Hazel's eyes narrowed in some annoyance that he had to fight back so that it couldn't show. "Afraid of fire?" Hypocrisy sat bitter on his tongue at the question.

Cinder's eyes narrowed in response. She raised a hand, and Hazel could practically _feel_ the flare in her aura that came with it. She thrust her open palm forward, and a billow of flame left it, striking the wood and setting it alight.

Everyone in the camp stared at the girl. She sneered slightly and dropped her hand back down to her side. None of them dared speak.

The first to break the quiet was Tyrian, with his typical cackling laughter. "The dear Ember truly burns brightly!" Tyrian exclaimed standing up from the spot where he'd been resting. "Why, Haze-"

"Quiet, _insect._ " Watts spoke up, sneering. "Nobody wants to hear your..." He grimaced. " _Outbursts._ "

The words made Tyrian shrink back wordlessly as he dragged himself back over to his small spot on the ground. He seemed obviously dejected, and Hazel couldn't fight back yet another grimace.

He needed to get control over these people if they were going to coexist.

"Food." He mumbled, looking at Arthur.

"Rations are in my bag." Arthur answered, calmly as he leaned in towards the fire so that he could begin checking over their plans in his dossier book. He raised a hand so that he could rub at the back of his neck once more. "We should have found it today."

Hazel grimaced. "We both anticipated that it would be difficult to locate." He spoke as calmly as he could manage. He hoped that it was going to be enough for him to hide some of his exhaustion. "Every day is progress."

Arthur glared at him across the fire. "There's no such thing as progress when we're finding _nothing._ " He leaned back again, snapping his dossier book closed. "This _failure-_ "

"Not a failure." Hazel cut him off, frowning as he leaned back against a tree and just let himself soak in some of the warmth, even if it was just for a little while. "We have suffered no losses, and haven't met much trouble besides-"

He knew that everyone at that campfire saw the way that his eyes flicked between Cinder and Tyrian both.

"It doesn't matter." Hazel decided to finish. "This isn't a failure."

Arthur glared at him still, obviously sneering behind that mustache of his. "Tomorrow, I will lead, and I'll find that spawning pool. When we meet victory, I'll be sure to see to it that neither of you see credit for it."

Every word was a barb. Somehow, Hazel didn't find that they stung so much anymore as much as they merely irritated.

Hazel didn't want to hear from Arthur anymore. He let himself sit there just long enough to warm his bones before he finally got up and stretched. "I'll take first watch." He muttered. "Tyrian, second watch."

Arthur rolled his eyes and let out a sound of frustration. "Very well," he sneered. "Run away."

Hazel rolled his eyes, turning his back and checking his pockets to make sure that he'd be okay with everything he had on him. "Goodnight, Arthur."

With that, he slipped off to the edges of their camp, ready to fight at the first chance that something was wrong. In a way, it was a redundant effort, but to Hazel that wasn't what mattered. The knowledge that Grimm weren't a likely concern didn't impact his decisions whatsoever.

This was mostly a force of habit.

When Hazel took his position to wait and watch, he ignored the flare of pain in his chest, more severe and intense than it had been before.

* * *

"I see you're once again wandering the grounds of my academy."

Ozpin's voice jolted Weiss out of the haze that she'd fallen into as she stared up at the old hunters statue that had somehow survived Beacon's first fall. The girl forced herself to stand up tall, reminding herself that she was a Schnee. Appearances mattered, more than anything else.

Even now, at the crack of dawn before anyone had gotten up, they mattered.

And Weiss was out of her element. She wasn't wearing the white snowflake emblem that marked her family name. It left her feeling almost naked.

The lack of Myrtenaster at her side made her feel more vulnerable.

She'd just gotten up early in the morning and slipped away from the suite where her family was staying in the hopes that she'd be able to get some air. Her father and Whitley didn't know that she was out of bed.

And so now, Weiss couldn't help but be on edge.

After all, Weiss knew fully well that if even a word about her sneaking out made it to her father, she would suffer consequences.

So Weiss had to think fast to come up with an answer for Ozpin that would be able to be called 'acceptable.' Her mind rushed and she took a breath, schooling her expression into something diplomatic before turning to face Professor Ozpin for the first time.

"Good morning, Headmaster Ozpin." Weiss said, bowing just slightly at the man. "I was simply trying to get some fresh air."

Ozpin hummed calmly, looking up at the statue in front of the both of them. "And so you came here?"

"I'd heard about it." Weiss replied, hoping that it was going to be a good enough cover. "And how it survived the fall years ago."

Ozpin hummed again. "So it did." He turned to face Weiss, hazel eyes flicking over her expression quickly. "You know that you may tell me the truth about why you're up."

Weiss froze in place. She knew that her eyes had widened a lot more than she would have preferred. She knew that she was showing her weakness, and so Weiss had to do her best to hide it. She reminded herself of her schooling, and of her mother's words.

Frozen iron never cracks.

"I was telling you the truth." Weiss said in a deadpan. "I wanted to get some fresh air."

"Air without your father to contaminate it?"

Weiss grit her teeth. "How-"

"Your father and I have done business in the past. I suppose you've heard about that?" Ozpin answered her question in a manner that was so calm that it was almost horrifying. If Ozpin knew about how her father could be, how was he able to hide any fear? Surely he knew how her father would react to this meeting alone. "He's not a kind man."

"Yes, well-" Weiss stared up at the statue. "I was telling the truth. I wanted to get away from him and my brother."

Ozpin nodded slowly, sipping from a mug of coffee as he did. "If it gives you any comfort, I will be sure not to inform him of our meeting."

"Thank you, Professor Ozpin." Weiss said slowly. "You've done me a great service."

"I suppose I have." Ozpin replied calmly, watching Weiss closely like there was something in particular that he was looking for. Weiss couldn't help the feeling that there was something about it that almost felt creepy but she was sure not to mention it. "I've heard about your activities during your stay." The words slipped out almost absentmindedly.

"You've-" Weiss cut herself off before she could say too much. Tact was important here, she couldn't let herself forget that fact. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Ozpin smirked. "I'm the headmaster. Things make it to me." He paused for a moment before speaking up again. "Why have you been going to so many combat classes, Weiss? Surely your father would have something to say about that?"

Weiss blinked. She knew a minefield when she saw one, and this was one that she didn't dare wish to tread in. But she needed to say something. "I find interest in tournaments."

"Is that it?"

Weiss paused, letting out a quiet sigh. "My older sister trained me." She explained herself calmly. "She saw training from-"

"General Ironwood?." Ozpin cut Weiss off. "I've heard plenty about Winter from him. She's talented. He takes great pride in her progress." They smiled slightly, watching Weiss again before letting his eyes slip shut. "If that talent is familial, I'm sure you have some mettle of your own."

Weiss paused, realizing right then what she might have been offered right then. If she was going to get out from under her father's grip, then this might have been her best chance to appeal for that freedom. She swallowed hard and stood up, straight and tall, knowing that she didn't look like a fighter, unarmed and in her street clothes as she was.

But she needed to do something instead of letting this opportunity slip by her. "I could show you." She kept her voice hard. "I have a weapon in my family's quarters-"

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by Weiss' offer. That was a good thing, Weiss supposed. If she could catch Ozpin by surprise, show her skill, and see entrance, then this was her chance.

"You have a weapon here in Vale with you?"

"Yes." Weiss answered, holding her head up high and trying to make herself look a little bit more physically imposing. It would never work, but she needed to put on a good show for this to work. "And if I can get away from my father long enough to show you what I'm capable of-"

"With all due respect," Ozpin spoke up with a slight smile of sorts. "You're a Schnee, Weiss. You have a family name to uphold, and I'm sure that fighting talent runs in your veins." Ozpin stared at her, eyes so intense that it almost felt like Weiss was having someone stare straight into her soul itself. "But I need to know-"

"Yes?"

"What does your name mean to you?"

Weiss' eyes dropped. She turned slightly, looking down at the inscription on the statue and facing it properly as she tried to find the words. Somehow, it felt like nothing that she ever said was ever going to be enough to really answer Ozpin's question. "I don't know, Sir." She paused. "It's-" Another pause, this time accompanied by a deep breath. "Complicated."

Ozpin had seemed to flinch at Weiss' words, something that she'd seen just out of the corner of her eye. He took a deep breath and nodded slowly, taking a step towards the statue and looking up at it instead of at the inscription like Weiss. "I believe you've answered my question." He said calmly. "If you wish to prove your mettle, I would recommend trying to make your way to one of the practice rooms here at the academy. They tend to empty out at around-" Ozpin paused, glancing up at the sky before turning back to Weiss. "Let's say, eight o'clock at night. I'm sure that you'd find it's a comfortable solitary experience."

Weiss felt the breath catch in her throat. This was really her being given a chance, she realized. Ozpin's was choosing words for the sake of making it an informal meeting rather than something like an appointment.

Ozpin was throwing her a lifeline in case Weiss got found out.

So Weiss weighed her own words as carefully as she possibly could, mostly because she was afraid to find out what would happen should she fail to. Her eyes flickered down to the statue again before she plastered on that fake smile that she always had to.

"I will be sure to look at them, Professor Ozpin." She said coolly, knowing that it wasn't enough to hide how relieved she was feeling. "Thank you for informing me of this."

Ozpin nodded along. He knew exactly what Weiss was doing as well, and it almost made her feel just a little bit less alone. She didn't know that she could call Ozpin a friend, but Weiss could take solace in his offer and comforting words.

"Very well then." Ozpin said calmly, sipping from his mug of coffee. "I suppose that I'll be hearing about you soon enough, Miss Schnee." He took the first step away from her and seemed to pause, hesitating for just a moment before deciding to speak again. "Though I suppose I should tell you-"

"Sir?"

"Not Sir." Ozpin said, voice deathly serious. "Nor he. Nor anything else like that."

Weiss' expression sank as she began to realize what she was being told. It made her heart ache and made her worry that she had been offending Ozpin the entire time. She shifted uncomfortably, searching for the words to use. Her voice was quiet when she finally found them.

"What should I call you then?" She asked, glancing up at Ozpin from behind her bangs and lacing her fingers together behind her back.

"Well," Ozpin began, smiling slightly. "I suppose that they would suffice, although…"

"Professor?"

"I do prefer my name, Miss Schnee." They paused, watching her closely. "Or do you prefer Weiss?"

"Weiss." She answered, standing up just a little bit straighter. "I'm terribly sorry for any-"

"Nonsense." Ozpin replied. "I'm sure that you've only known what your father has told you, Weiss. I can't hold that against you."

With that, Weiss was able to relax, even if it was only slightly. Ozpin had offered her and olive branch, and she wasn't going to turn it down. Especially not now. She picked her head up and stared up at Ozpin.

"Thank you, Professor Ozpin." She said, her voice strong. "For everything."

Ozpin smiled down at her. "Don't be thanking me just yet, Weiss." They took the first two steps away from her, pausing to sip their coffee one last time. "I'm sure you and I have unfinished business to take care of."

"Right." Weiss said, watching them. "Of course."

Ozpin nodded slowly, still smiling. "I look forward to hearing from you again soon, Weiss. Do enjoy the rest of your morning."

With that, they were gone, and Weiss was alone.

She needed to start preparing.

* * *

"So it's definitely getting closer, right?"

The immediate reaction that Qrow won from his friend upon his arrival was that James Ironwood, the supposedly unshakable General of Atlas, Headmaster of Atlas Academy, and possibly the most politically powerful person in the world, had jumped. He'd jolted rather violently, his coffee spilling over out of its mug and onto his left hand where Qrow could only assume it had scalded.

Normally Qrow wouldn't have tried to scare the poor guy, but today he was just in a different mood from normal, and he wanted a chance to give his reports to everyone that he needed to talk to. Ozpin was out of their office, and so that meant that Qrow only had James and Glynda to bother.

And Glynda was even less fun than James was, even on a good day.

James swore under his breath and looked up at Qrow. "What do you want?" He asked in an already irritated deadpan as he searched for something to mop up his spilled coffee with.

"To give my morning report, for one." Qrow said with a slight shrug, still sitting on James' windowsill, cross-legged. "But scaring you was pretty worth it."

"Qrow..." James growled his name, and Qrow rolled his eyes at the reaction.

"Something wrong, Jimmy?"

The General grit his teeth in very obvious annoyance before letting out a heavy sigh and giving in to Qrow's pestering. "No." he muttered. "Just wanted to enjoy my morning before it got..." James clamped his mouth shut, shaking his head. "Doesn't matter."

"Schnee's dragging you that bad?" Qrow asked, feeling a slight pang of sympathy. It was no secret that there were certain things about his position that James very distinctly disliked.

"Yes," James mumbled. "Something like that." With those words, James took his seat again and rested his hands on his chest, lacing those gloved hands of his together and trying to look relaxed. It wasn't a convincing show, if only because Qrow knew fully well that James was probably secretly panicking under the veneer of strength he put up.

It was a good show, but far from reality. The James Ironwood he knew tended to emotionally range between scared shitless and angry, with close to nothing in between.

"So my report?" Qrow asked, deciding to drag the attention away from whatever was going on with the General and to the actual reason for his visit. "You still want that or not?"

James nodded, raising a hand and gently waving it to signal to Qrow to go on. It was the arrogant move of someone used to Atlesian high society, and seeing James using it made Qrow's blood boil. Mostly because he knew that James wasn't like that normally.

This was mostly a show, put on for the sake of Jacques Schnee. Almost like James was a method actor.

"Alright." Qrow said bitterly. "So I went out for my morning patrol. Nothing really interesting to pay attention to. Roads out of Vale are still pretty clear, but it looked like they'd seen a bit of traffic." He wracked his mind, thinking of everything and everything that he'd seen on his patrol.

James probably wouldn't be interested to know that the markers needed to be cleared off again, or that there was an abandoned wheel somewhere near the fifteen marker. That was the sort of thing that didn't really matter.

"Anything else?" James asked, reaching for a pen and paper and scribbling down a couple of notes on it. Qrow figured that this was going to get transferred to digital later, but for now James needed to get things down as quick as possible. He figured a lot of the reason for James' method being the way that it was had to do with the fact that the guy's handwriting was close to garbage, regardless of which hand he used to write with.

"Yeah," Qrow said, finally unfolding his legs from underneath him and climbing down from his perch. "It's been getting closer."

"How much closer?"

"About half a mile." Qrow said, pursing his lips and staring down at the floor as he flopped into one of the two extra chairs that James kept by his desk. "Not the worst that it could be, but we still have to keep our eyes open and stay alert."

James nodded, scribbling the number down before nervously capping and uncapping his pen while he was deep in thought. "Have you reported to Ozpin about this yet?"

"Nah," Qrow said with a shrug. "They weren't in their office this morning."

"And Glynda?"

"I didn't want to ruin my morning that quickly." Qrow laughed. It just earned him a glare from James, but Qrow couldn't help to roll his eyes over the reaction from the other man. He figured that it was something that he had to expect, but it was typical. "I usually don't go to her directly." Qrow began to explain himself, a little bit more seriously now. "Typically she hears everything from Ozpin before I get to her anyways."

He smirked, his eyes narrowing playfully. "At least, I assume it's from Ozpin-"

"I see." James spoke, a little too quickly. There were absolutely no illusions about what Qrow had been intending to say. This was a common game that he ended up playing with James, mostly because getting the guy irritated enough that he'd snap was fun. It was a game that Qrow had played a lot of times, and James fell into it about half the time.

The other half of the time, James ended up ready to throttle him.

Or Qrow would end up ready to do the same to James.

It depended on the day more often than not.

"Think you and Ozpin are going to start working on a team to go after it?" Qrow asked, leaning back in his seat and casting a glance around the office to see whether or not James had a pot with extra coffee laying around. "Or are you going to call in your specialists?"

James frowned slightly, some annoyance showing rather obviously in his expression. Qrow figured he had to expect that, if only because work tended to be a sore topic.

"No." James mumbled. "Unfortunately a grimm that close to Vale is outside of my jurisdiction and most of the decision making will fall to Ozpin."

There wasn't anything in the world that could have possibly been enough to keep Qrow from barking out a laugh at that response. It was the sort of fake, rehearsed thing that James would throw around whenever he felt the need to. Definitely not the sort of thing that the guy actually felt.

"Nice answer." Qrow laughed, leaning back in the spare seat a little bit further than he should have. He felt it tilt back just slightly. "You practice that one for the media or-"

James shot him a glare as a response. "It's the actual answer." The man spoke, words scarily steady and never betraying any actual emotion. "That's not to say that I won't have involvement in fighting it, but I'm not getting the specialists involved unless..."

"Unless?" Qrow leaned in, the legs of the chair hitting the floor with a crack.

"Unless the situation presents itself as being too difficult for Ozpin's students to handle." James said, his voice hard and sitting up straight.

Qrow nodded, figuring that was about the best that he was going to get out of James on this topic. It was James, he could only expect so much from the guy most of the time. He was sure that James was still going to end up fighting with Ozpin when it came to actually making things happening. But for now, James was going to give his canned media-friendly answers that he'd gotten so used to giving.

"Got it." Qrow mumbled, looking around the office. "That's all I had for my morning report." He announced, wondering whether or not it was going to be enough to distract James away from the topic.

"And you're still here?" James deadpanned. "I'm almost thinking you might like me." The man raised his mug of coffee to his lips, drinking from it and relaxing slightly as he consumed the hot drink. "Why are you still here?"

"Wanted to ask you about your little guests." Qrow said with a slight shrug. "Jacques Schnee, huh?"

"Yes." James said, frowning bitterly. There was always some sort of weird history that the guy wouldn't talk about with the Schnees, but Qrow had never been able to get it out of James. It wasn't that much of a surprise, but he wished he knew. "He's here to work on a contract."

"What kind?"

"Classified."

"Ah." Qrow laughed, reaching into his pocket so that he could have a morning refreshment of his own. "That kind then."

"Military, if you really must know." James answered.

"But you're from Atlas, Jimmy." Qrow replied, ignoring the fact that James had glared at him again for it. "Military and your academy-"

"Are tied together, yes." James let out a heavy sigh with the words. "It's tedious work."

Qrow felt a pang of sympathy for James, but decided that it was for the best if he just didn't let it show too much. "Sorry about the guy." He said with a slight shrug. "You're not going to give in to him, right?"

James nodded slowly. "If I can avoid it, I'm going to keep it from becoming a problem." James explained as calmly as he could manage. "Jacques is obnoxious but manageable. Just..." He seemed like there was something that he wanted to say, and Qrow even leaned in towards James just slightly in interest. "Never mind." James cut himself off before he could say anything else on the matter. "It's just him trying to get into his head.

Oh, how that left Qrow worried.

He felt his scroll buzz in his pocket, and Qrow figured that was probably the sign that he had to leave for a little while. He fished it out to see that it was a message from Ozpin, asking for his morning report.

Qrow frowned slightly and slipped his scroll back away. "If you don't think it matters, I guess it doesn't, right General?" He laughed nonchalantly, getting up now. "I"ll see you around Jimmy."

"Right." James replied with a quiet sigh. "I'll talk to you soon."

"Yeah," Qrow chuckled as he went to the door to James' office. "After my late patrol."

"Of course."

Qrow didn't let himself linger any longer than he needed to before slipping out of the office and leaving James to his own devices.


	9. Chess

It wasn't a long wait at all before Blake received the notice that she'd have her combat exam at eight o' clock that night.

With some of her worries minimally assuaged, Blake made her way to the combat classroom to find that it was currently empty. Blake was more than thankful for that fact as her mind buzzed with thoughts about what was to come. She could feel the weight of Gambol Shroud on her back, and waiting meant that Blake was left in a position where she had nothing to think about other than the fact that she needed to be ready to fight.

There were several variables at hand, some which were much worse than others. For instance, Blake didn't know whether or not she was going to end up in a fight against another person or something else. It wasn't as though she'd never fought another person before, but Blake knew that the experiences of fighting a monster and fighting a person were just _different_.

Ultimately, Blake didn't know which opponent she wanted to face less.

In one fluid motion, Blake hopped down into the arena and landed on the balls of her feet with feline grace. This was going to be one of the most important days of her life, Blake was sure of it.

Because of that, Blake wasn't going to let herself be her downfall.

But she had her time alone before her opponent or any instructors arrived, and so Blake took the time to prepare herself for the battle ahead of her.

When she armed herself, Gambol Shroud sat heavy in Blake's hand, a constant reminder of how her the last few weeks of her life had gone, as well as the sins of her past. The last time that she'd really needed the weapon, she'd been doing nothing more than trying to protect herself against the threats of her old friends.

Friends no longer.

 _They were worse than monsters._

Blake repeated those words to herself several times over in a silent mantra until it at least _felt_ like they were sinking in.

She took a deep breath in through her nose as she walked towards the center of the small arena that would be her battlefield. It wasn't anything like anything that she would have expected. She'd been expecting it to look something more like the arenas that she'd seen televised in the past. Blake had been expecting something flashy. Something like pillars of dust that could be broken off to aid in combat, or something like shifting landscapes. Blake had expected the grandiose, some sort of spectacle of technology-at least on the small scale.

But instead, this was just a vacant space with high walls at the edges so that nobody got out of the arena during a simulation fight. When Blake looked down into the ground it looked like thin grooves had been cut there, but she couldn't imagine any reason for them to exist.

It was nothing like what a battlefield looked like when she was out in the world. Nothing could match the arena of natural trees and empty roads, or half torn down campsites.

Blake unsheathed Gambol Shroud, deciding to wield the sheath as a cleaver alongside the katana. Heavy in her hands, but comforting in a way. The last thing that she did before she prepared herself to do anything was make sure that she had the ribbon on the weapon wrapped around her arm in case she needed to take an aerial approach at any point.

It felt like ribbons were becoming all too common in her supplies these days.

Blake tried not to think about the one that covered her ears.

It wasn't one of the things that she needed to focus on. Not now.

Blake let out a quiet sigh and sank down into her fighting stance, just so that she'd be able to warm up. She didn't get the chance to do anything though, because the door to the room that she'd decided to occupy opened.

She almost jumped, standing upright and looking up at the door to see that Ozpin had come in, accompanied by a couple of other people that Blake hadn't seen before. There was Qrow Branwen, who she recognized, and a woman that walked with them that Blake had never seen before. Blake let out another sigh, this time knowing that she was coming off as irritated as she stood up straight and looked up at the three of them.

"Hey, kid." Qrow greeted her first, walking up to the edge of the balcony overlooking the arena and looking down at her her from where he was standing. "Doing alright?"

Blake didn't respond, just sheathed her weapon again so that she could truly prepare herself to fight.

Ozpin spoke up before Qrow could do anything else. "Blake," They greeted her, expression and tone even. "I see you found your way to the arena easily enough."

"I did." Blake confirmed, relaxing just slightly and dropping her arm away from the weapon. "Thank you for your invitation."

"Yes, well." Ozpin smiled slightly. "We needed to test your steel while we still had you. Blake, I must introduce you-" They gestured to the woman at their side, and she stepped forward to stare down at Blake. She had vibrant green eyes that Blake recognized quickly, but there was something about the woman's gaze that came off as being condescending. She didn't know what it was about this woman, but it was enough to leave Blake feeling a little uneasy.

"This is Glynda Goodwitch. She is the vice headmistress here at Beacon Academy and should you pass this exam, you'll find yourself attending classes with her." Glynda nodded calmly, confirming that Ozpin's introduction was correct. Ozpin nodded and moved on to Qrow. "And you of course have already met Qrow."

"I have." Blake answered with a slight nod. "Thank you for inviting me." She turned just slightly, to look at Qrow more directly. He smiled and shrugged in the most nonchalant manner possible.

"Qrow isn't actually a teacher here." Glynda spoke up, shooting the man an interesting look. "But he is an important figure around this academy because of the additional work that he offers."

"Yes, well." Ozpin spoke up, deciding that it was for the best if they cut off the conversation at hand. "We'll be waiting for your opponent to arrive, and then we'll be able to begin the exam."

Blake blinked, realizing what had just been put out for her to be aware of. It was apparent to her now that she was going to be facing a human opponent rather than some sort of simulation. The question after that was just who it was going to be that she ended up being pit against.

And after that, it was going to be a question of how quickly she was going to be able to parse out her opponent's fighting style so that she could take them down.

The door opened again, and all three of the adults in the room looked back over their shoulders to see who had just joined them.

Blake tried to stand up on the tips of her toes to get a better view, but she couldn't see all that much beyond the edge of the arena.

"Miss Schnee." Ozpin spoke calmly, and Blake almost instinctively felt her blood begin to _boil_ over the name. She knew more than enough about why she shouldn't trust this woman any further than she could throw her.

 _Never trust a Schnee.  
_  
It was a phrase that Blake was sure she'd heard a hundred times over the course of her life. Blake personally knew people who relished in the possibility of being able to be the one to take down a Schnee at some point in their life. Among the White Fang, the Schnees were considered public enemy number one.

And that was terrifying, Blake realized, as the Schnee girl approached the edge of the arena.

Ozpin turned to look down at Blake. "Miss Belladonna, this is Weiss Schnee. Miss Schnee, Blake Belladonna. You'll both be taking your combat examinations today."

Blake blinked, her eyes locking with the white haired woman's eyes. They had to be the same age. She wracked her mind, hoping to think of anything that could potentially help her out in the fight against this girl.

Nothing came to mind other than the bragging of someone who'd claimed to kill a Schnee in the past, and even then, Blake seriously doubted that it was true. Nothing could conjure a grimm from nothing and make it stay. _That_ was just an old wive's tale.

"Of course." Blake answered, keeping her voice calm as she stared up at her opponent. "Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine." Weiss replied, her eyes sliding shut as she slid down into a too-graceful curtsey. She stood up straight after a moment, hand sliding to the weapon at her side.

Weiss was nervous, Blake realized.

It was entirely possible that this heiress had never fought in a real battle over the course of her entire life.

If that was true, then Blake figured that she had an easy win being handed to her.

"Right." Blake deadpanned before looking back to Ozpin, Qrow, and Glynda. The three of them seemed to be talking quietly amongst themselves as they tried to think of terms for the fight. While that happened, Weiss made her way down into the arena with Blake.

It was the first good look that Blake really got to take of Weiss.

Weiss was thinner, smaller than her. Blake was willing to bet that any training that Weiss had received had been minimal. She was also willing to guess that killing and fighting people was something that the heiress had never considered.

If Blake was a good member of the White Fang, then she knew how this fight was supposed to end by those standards.

But she wasn't one of them anymore, Blake had to remind herself. This was just a spar more than it was anything else, regardless of what sorts of terms were put forward for her to pay attention to.

All that Blake knew was that she was determined to _win_.

A few minutes ticked by, until finally Weiss and Blake were no longer being left to their own devices. The first of the adults that spoke up was Ozpin, and every word that left their lips was commanding.

"We've determined the terms of your battle." Ozpin began, sounding entirely too calm as they stirred their coffee, almost like they weren't even in a combat room. "We determined that the best way to go about this is to use tournament rules. Meaning, you two are to battle until loss by ring out or loss by aura break occurs."

Weiss and Blake both nodded, a clear show that the both of them understood the terms clearly.

A slight quirk of a smile played at the corner of Ozpin's mouth, and it was almost enough to annoy Blake. She didn't dare comment on it.

"Now," Ozpin spoke again, keeping the attention of the two girls drawn as they made their ways over to the marked starting positions in the arena. "I must stress to both of you that this is not a simple battle. You two are both fighting for entrance into this academy, and as such you should consider this as a test of skills rather than as a simple fight to win." Ozpin paused and watched them both. "Also keep in mind that loss doesn't necessarily exclude you from entry into this academy."

Blake nodded, understanding. It was somewhat comforting, if only because it meant that the odds of the fight were being kept clear enough that she didn't have to worry so much. It seemed that all she was going to have to do was make sure to land a few clean hits and then she'd be getting off with her entry into the academy guaranteed.

Blake gazed across the arena to Weiss, who was arranging herself so that she stood in a fighting stance that couldn't have been more different from Blake's. The heiress stood with her head high and her right foot forward, but Blake did see her slide it back in an act of self-correction.

It was interesting, if nothing else. It told Blake to expect a by-the-book fight from Weiss.

Blake drew Gambol shroud once more. She decided to go into this with both parts of the weapon on hand, if only because it meant that the heiress would have fewer chances to land a strike. Perhaps it was cheap to do, but Blake didn't really care all that much. She was in this to win.

She sank down into her own fighting stance, pressing the balls of her feet down into the ground and tensing her legs so that she could leap at the first sign necessary.

There was an electronic beeping sound, telling her and Weiss both that the battle was about to begin, and the loud final beep set her into motion.

Blake pushed off of the ground quickly, eyes glued on her white-clad opponent as the other girl had to same sort of idea. When Weiss braced her weapon in front of her on the charge, Blake did the same with her own weapon, holding the cleaver sheath of Gambol Shroud to block.

The two met in the middle of the arena in a parry, and each skid past the other. Blake didn't let herself stop for a second, shifting the form of her sword into a kusarigama with the pull of a trigger. She threw the weapon, lodging it into a part of the arena and using the momentum so that she could continue towards Weiss without interruption and faster than she would have been on foot alone.

Weiss realized what Blake was doing quick enough. She crouched and waved her hands together by her feet, a glowing white glyph appearing that was enough for Weiss to push off of for a similar change in direction. It seemed like they were both trying to play a game of movement, at least for now.

For Blake, she was ready to misdirect Weiss at the first opportunity.

The two of them met again. Blake raised the sheath of gambol shroud in front of her to parry Weiss' strike once more before tugging on the ribbon of the kusarigama to bring it back her way. There was a gunshot, propelling the weapon faster than Blake necessarily wanted, but she could work with it. Speed was always an asset in some way.

She pulled it hard in her direction, rushing past Weiss and the ribbon catching the girl by the arm to tear her to the ground. Blake smiled, sure that she had the strike that she needed to land before her.

Weiss fell gracelessly. Blake caught her weapon. She shifted it back to a katana as quickly as she could manage before turning her grip so that she could direct a stab down at Weiss.

Before the hit could land, a turning black glyph appeared in front of Weiss to deliver a parry all her own. Blake grit her teeth in frustration, trying to free her weapon but finding herself unable to until Weiss was on her feet and her glyph had dissipated.

Blake hopped back out of the way before Weiss could get a chance to land a strike. No use in using her semblance just yet. Not when she was sure that Weiss had just begun to show the cards in her hand.

There was a moment where neither of the two girls moved forward, if only because they were both trying to size the other up. Blake dropped her weapons down to her sides in a manner that was almost nonchalant. She was sure that there was already a difference in skill level or at least direct experience already showing.

Weiss was good enough, Blake thought as her eyes focused on a space behind the girl's' head, but Weiss wasn't used to real fights.

It almost felt like a match where whoever made the first move was going to end up being the victor, Blake realized as she waited for Weiss to do something to move and fight.

Weiss raised her sword in front of her again, holding it out in front of her in preparing for something. Blake smirked, tightened her grip on her swords just slightly and waited.

Neither moved, not forward at least. Weiss shifted, dropping to one knee and plunging her sword into the ground. Blake watched as a glyph appeared, and more soon followed after, all in a straight line away from Weiss.

It was something that she had to avoid getting caught in, Blake realized. But at the same time, it might have been best for her to take the chance to bluff and get a solid hit in that way.

Blake thought fast, and finally settled on a decision. She didn't move from her spot, just moved so that it looked like she was bracing herself or preparing to do something that Weiss would hopefully misread. The fact that Blake was trying to bait how the other girl fighted was hopefully enough to work.

The glyph by her feet exploded into a sharp crystal of ice, and Blake activated her semblance, leaping out of the way of the hit while it struck her clone. She threw her weapon again, this time aiming to hit the spot on the wall behind Weiss.

Weiss didn't react fast enough. She was in the middle of the process of getting her weapon out of the ground when Blake pulled herself in the direction of the wall as fast as she could.

It worked. She raised her remaining weapon and held it out to the side as she sped past Weiss. The cleaver-like sheath of Gambol Shroud hit Weiss.

Blake hadn't been aiming too high on the girl's' body, but the strike landed on her shoulder. Weiss was knocked out of the way, and Blake landed, holding herself up mostly by the ribbon of her weapon and standing on the wall for the most part.

All of her weight balanced on her leg, and she watched as Weiss regrouped, aura visibly flickering.

 _Good_ , Blake thought to herself. She was winning and that was all that mattered.

It felt a little bit like Blake had ended up in a grudge match of sorts with someone who had no idea that there was any issue between the two of them. But of course Weiss didn't know, Blake had to remind herself as she tried to prepare her next strategy. Why would she?

After all, nobody here knew who the real Blake Belladonna was. That was one of the things that were keeping her safe.

Weiss was getting frustratedthough, Blake realized. The girl's face contorted into a look of anger and she moved into a charge, sliding along a long line of glyphs as though she was skating at Blake at high speed with her weapon outstretched.

Blake wrenched her weapon out of the wall and pushed against it to leap behind Weiss before she could make contact.

Weiss shifted her weight, turning and sliding to a stop as she faced in Blake's direction. The two of them both began to walk towards each other as though some sort of unspoken truce of sorts had been made.

Less mobility, Blake told herself now. Now this was a matter of just making a winner out of herself in close combat.

Weiss flicked her weapon at the side, and Blake watched as the dust chambers in it rotated in search of a new advantage.

Something to worry about, Blake supposed.

In theory, it was something that she could turn against Weiss if it became necessary.

But the two met in the center of the arena in relatively close quarters. The two of them had actually decided to stop at the center of the ring at their original start positions.

It was a chance for the two of them to treat it as a new fight beginning.

The fact that Blake hadn't yet taken a hard enough hit to matter wasn't something that she considered.

"You're strong." Weiss commented, holding her head up high.

"Yeah." Blake answered, holding her swords tight and sliding a foot forward so that she could move. "You're not so bad yourself."

Weiss smiled slightly and she stepped in, lunging at Blake with her blade.

Blake knew that her eyes widened slightly at that. She brought up the sheath of Gambol Shroud, holding it in front of herself so that she could at the very least make an attempt to block the hit, or at least misdirect it.

It wasn't enough. Weiss' strike went off center from where she'd been meaning to hit, and Blake had to grit her teeth as it attempted to cut through her aura and into her side.

Blake knew that she let out a sound that she knew resembled a snarl. The black haired girl had to twist herself so that she could retaliate against Weiss properly. The first hit against Weiss came from the sheath of Gambol Shroud, hitting the girl on the stomach with most of Blake's strength and making her aura crackle white dangerously.

Blake almost span as she brought around her second sword, cutting upwards in Weiss' direction with the katana.

The hit landed _much_ higher than it should have, and Blake heard the sound of Weiss' aura breaking properly. It was like glass, almost.

Blake breathed hard, realizing then what she'd done.

The quick look at Weiss' face was all that she needed to confirm to Blake that things had just gone much poorer than they could have. This was not just bad, this was very, _very_ bad.

Red welled up against the pearly white skin of Weiss' face, just above her right eye, and continuing below it.

It seemed like she'd just grazed the girl, but with a sharp weapon and Weiss' aura freshly broken, it didn't matter.

Blake almost felt guilty for it.

If she was a good member of the White Fang, she would have gone ahead and done something to try and finish the job. All it would have taken was an attempt to bring down the cleaver again and end it.

But instead, Blake dropped her weapons down to her side and relaxed slightly, hearing the sound of a buzzer going off.

 _She'd won_.

Weiss Schnee would carry the mark of her failure for the rest of her life, Blake figured.

The adults on the balcony all moved to action, making their ways down to the arena to meet with Weiss and Blake personally and check for any sign that the injury was more serious than it looked.

Based on the way that Weiss was staring Blake down, Blake figured Weiss still had her vision.

But the heiress was dumbfounded.

The blank expression on her face was all that Blake needed to be able to figure that out.

"That's enough." Glynda nearly shouted, giving Blake a look that was probably meant to be enough to scare her off. Blake said nothing, just took a half-step back and watched as someone swept in the help Weiss up and begin checking that the girl still had her vision.

Blake waited, since she wasn't sure whether or not there was going to be anything else said to her. The situation was difficult, but Blake had won a victory. If anything, she could fall back on the truth which was that Weiss' aura had broken mid-hit.

Nobody had said anything about a need to hold back beyond tournament rules, and so Blake hadn't.

Ozpin looked between the two girls, humming quietly and continuing to drink from their coffee. They paused and looked over to Qrow, who was quick to make his way over to Ozpin's side so that a few words could get mumbled into his ear. Qrow nodded along with every word, until finally he decided that he wanted to go.

He walked over to Blake and gave her a gentle nudge of the elbow.

Blake didn't respond, just took a half-step away and finally took the chance to sheath her weapon again. She ignored the red that dripped down its tip. It wasn't the first time that she'd seen that sort of thing on Gambol Shroud, Blake reminded herself. This was an accident.

Finally, Ozpin spoke. "You both performed very well," They announced, nonchalantly and all too cavalierly. For a second, there was something about it that Blake felt was almost unnerving but she couldn't quite figure out what it was. Maybe it was the knowledge that Ozpin seemed to be all but completely unaware of the fact that there was a teenager bleeding in the ring.

Blake didn't know what that bothered her so much, considering that she was mostly able to brush off what had happened herself.

She didn't say anything, and she didn't try to move. Weiss was being offered a cloth to dab against her eye so that they could make an attempt at healing the wound. It wouldn't be enough, Blake knew. Her ears under her bow told her that on their own- without aura, the wound was going to have time to begin to scar before it was able to heal properly.

Ozpin sipped their coffee again. "I'm going to recommend that you both try and get some rest. There will be a decision made on whether or not you've both earned your entry into the academy or not by-"

The door to the training room opened, and a tall man stepped in, looking slightly sheepish but mostly just irritated. He stepped up to the side of the balcony, and Blake was able to recognize him finally once she got a good look at him.

General James Ironwood. Blake figured he'd been asked to provide council but had only managed to show up late.

She didn't think much of it.

Ozpin shot the man on the balcony a glare and then decided to continue. "You'll have the verdicts on your entry by morning." They explained calmly. "As I already said, I'm recommending that the two of you both do your best to get some rest before the morning comes around. Injuries need time to heal and your auras will need to be able to recover."

For the first time, Blake found herself actually shifting somewhat nervously at the suggestion. She didn't know whether or not Ozpin was aware of the fact that she was in Vale alone and without any sort of permanent living situation. The issue of tuition had already been brought up between the two of them, but that didn't make it enough for Blake to deal with. She still needed a safety net of some sort.

Her amber eyes slipped over to Qrow, and she watched him out of the corner of her eye. He seemed to be well aware of the fact that he was being watched, but he also did nothing to mention it or talk about it.

"Understood." Blake said finally, keeping her voice calm and taking a half-step towards the stairs that would take her out of the arena. Nobody moved to stop her, and so she turned and began on her way out, leaving the others to tend to Weiss and her injuries.

She shouldn't have been surprised at all by the fact that Qrow was following close after her, like he was hoping to get through to her personally.

"So," Qrow said, having somehow managed to just appear by Blake's side by means which Blake wasn't able to identify. "You sliced that girl's face up pretty well."

"It was an accident."

"Was it?" Qrow asked, eyes searching for something that Blake was afraid to think about. Maybe he was just looking for guilt. If that was the case, then Blake didn't intend to give Qrow anything else to go on. "Because you seemed pretty bloodthirsty in the ring."

"It was an accident." Blake repeated, doing her best to convince Qrow as much as she was doing her best to convince herself. "Her aura broke mid-strike."

Qrow shrugged and nodded his head. "You know someone's aura shouldn't break that easy. Especially not a healthy one."

Blake paused, turning on the balls of her feet and almost stepping up into Qrow's face in a weak attempt to show some sort of dominance. "What are you trying to say?"

"Me?" Qrow asked, shrugging off her reaction like it was absolutely nothing. "Nothing." He mumbled. "Just have seen kids like you come through this place before. A little too strong, a little too ruthless." He shrugged, not sounding at all convinced when he spoke. "It's normal."

 _It wasn't_ , Blake knew. There was no way that it was. People like her didn't get far away from their situations normally to be able to just go to school like it was nothing.

Even now, Blake wasn't fully convinced that she was going to end up sticking around Beacon for all that long. The situation that she had run from was too messy for that, and Blake knew that better than anyone else in the world.

"So," Qrow asked finally, changing the topic. "Got a place to stay?"

"Why are you-"

"Kid, you came into Junior's bar looking for an inn." Qrow said, pointing it out like it was the single most obvious thing in the world. "People who have places to stay don't just do that. Especially not locals."

Blake's expression sank, and she knew fully well that she'd only managed to betray what she was feeling and worrying about it with that.

Qrow clicked his tongue against his teeth.

"If you need a place to crash, I've got a couch." Qrow said with a slight shrug. "I've gotta be up here in the morning anyways. If you don't mind a mess, you can stay at my place for the night until Oz has a verdict."

Blake looked away from Qrow, and she found herself reaching up so that she could hug herself in a weak attempt to make herself feel just a little bit more secure about everything that had happened that day and was being implied by Qrow's comments. But she wasn't going to let Qrow know how far he had managed to get into her head, and so Blake asked a question of her own in the hopes that it would help her to calm down and relax.

"Do you think Ozpin will take me?"

"After a fight like that?" Qrow asked. "Yeah, I think they'll take you."

Blake nodded along. She wasn't all that convinced, if only because she knew better than to let herself get her hopes up about much of anything after so many years with the White Fang and on the run. Her life had never given her any reason to believe in much of anything, and so Blake had to remain skeptical of Qrow's answer.

"You're sure?"

"Nah," Qrow replied, tilting his head back slightly. "But I know Oz pretty well, and I'd be willing to put my money on them wanting you." He paused. "Not to mention the Schnee kid."

Blake didn't respond, and that only earned a weird look from Qrow. He decided against commenting on it, and decided to just keep talking. The only difference was now, he was reaching into his pocket and looking for something that Blake soon discovered was a flask of foul-smelling liquid that she was never going to be able to forget the scent of.

It was too strong on the air, but she didn't let Qrow know how sensitive her senses were compared to his.

Qrow took a long swig and paused, looking Blake over before asking one last question.

"Where'd you learn to fight like that anyways?"

Blake's only response was to shoot the man a glare and hope it would be enough to shut him up.

It wasn't.


	10. Healing Wounds

_A woman that seemed to be carved from marble stared at him with burning eyes and a wicked smile that he couldn't imagine as being one of anything other than love._

 _Her eyes stood bright against the blackness of the world, two spots of violent red- Her gaze meant only for him. Her skin was a ghostly white which practically glowed when placed in contrast with Her surroundings. The words that came to mind for him when he looked at Her were simple- otherworldly, godly, heavenly._

 _And out of nothing more than Her pure kindness and love, She reached out for him with an outstretched hand, and placed it on the back of his hand as he did not deserve._

She whispered something in his ear and gently wrapped a hand around his, her thumb grazing over his skin.

 _It burned._

 _With a gasp, he woke._

Tyrian disliked that he was starting to get used to having consciousness thrust onto him so violently, always with a burn after he'd been fortunate to see Her. The man let out a pained howl, which was more than enough to make the others wake up, and shrank as far back away from the campfire as he could manage as he scrambled for safety.

All the while, he cradled his wounded wrist in his uninjured hand as though he thought it would be further harmed.

"Tyrian?"

Hazel's voice was the first thing to penetrate the haze of Tyrian's mind, and even then Tyrian was distantly aware of the sound of the man abandoning his bedroll. Tyrian couldn't bring himself to respond in any way beyond a whimper and further cowering.

On the other hand, Arthur was taking his time to get up, finding one of his bags and opening it roughly in annoyance. The good doctor said nothing.

Tyrian was breathing too hard. He knew that his heart was pounding too hard against his chest, and he couldn't find a way to ground himself for the life of him. The stinging burn of tears in his eyes only made it harder for Tyrian to collect himself.

As for the dear little Ember, she stood out of the way and watched in horror as Tyrian's arm was grabbed and tugged free from his own grip.

Arthur held Tyrian like a vice, and without much care turned his arm so that he could best see the damage.

Sure enough, burning there into the back of his hand was a fresh brand, looking like it had already managed to cauterize.

"Another one." Hazel mumbled, looking over at Arthur and sounding thoroughly annoyed. Neither of them even bothered to address Tyrian, and that was something that stung beyond belief. Possibly more than the fresh injury did, not that Tyrian could let them know of that.

"It's always another one." Arthur muttered as he removed a small pot of ointment from his bag. Tyrian didn't know much about the treatment beyond that it would hurt when it was applied, and that the scent always managed to burn his nose. "Following them hasn't gotten us anywhere."

"Doesn't matter." Hazel grumbled, reaching out and catching Tyrian's hand so that Arthur could work more freely. Tyrian struggled against the grip weakly, but stopped once it became apparent that there was no avoiding this. "Treat it."

Tyrian whimpered as the cream began to be applied to his fresh injury, and did his best to shrink away just a little bit more but found no such success. Arthur had no gentility in his touch- Tyrian couldn't help but suspect that this was a punishment in its own right.

"Well," Arthur said finally, letting out a too heavy sigh that Tyrian knew was supposed to tell him that it was safe to speak. "What did she say?"

Tyrian blinked. His heart was still beating too hard against his chest, and there was a fear that still refused to release him from its grip. He didn't know whether or not he was even capable of speaking in that moment. Instead of speaking, he merely trembled.

Arthur rolled his eyes and looked over at Hazel to mutter something that Tyrian wasn't quite able to make out.

He squeezed his eyes shut and wrapped his tail around himself in a slight attempt to comfort. The scales did little for his nerves, but the pressure helped to bring Tyrian back to Remnant where he at least _existed_.

This wasn't the first nightmare, no, _vision_ of its sort that he'd experienced, and they never got easier. Always, Tyrian struggled and hoped that he'd be okay, but nothing ever worked.

He didn't know whether or not the Goddess he saw in his dreams was there trying to curse or bless him. But she was a Goddess nonetheless, and so Tyrian was sure she came to him in love.

Tyrian sucked in a deep, shuddering breath, one that was so harsh that it was enough to wrack through his entire body. Nobody commented on it, and so he was left to calm himself by himself.

Arthur and Hazel got up together, probably debating where they were supposed to go next.

Cinder didn't leave the site, and Tyrian didn't know whether or not he wanted to curse her or thank her for it.

She got up and took a seat next to him. "Tyrian, right?" She asked, bringing his name up. He nodded slowly, confirming, but didn't let himself look over to see Cinder, if only because he was afraid to find out what would happen if he did.

The woman hesitated for a moment before speaking up again. "What... happened?" Arthur and Hazel's voices were growing more distant, and so Tyrian assumed that he and Cinder were alone, if only for a little while.

"Our Goddess." Tyrian whispered, turning his hand over and seeing the way that the fresh bandage stuck to his skin and Watts' ointment. He was lucky there was no blood peeking through this time. "She came to me in yet another vision but-" His mind flickered back to the dream, nightmare, and Tyrian curled in on himself just a little bit more. He had to choke back a sob of nervousness. "Oh, this always happens. You must understand, she does it in love-."

Cinder paused, looking down at her hands. Tyrian watched her out of the corner of his eye, through the hot tears that were already beading there.

Tyrian sniffled quietly, doing his best to keep back anything from showing up that Cinder could read into. He didn't know whether he liked the woman or not, let alone whether or not he could trust her. But she was the only one that was there trying to comfort him at a time like this, and so Tyrian had to do his best make himself relax.

It didn't come easily. The tension was too much. It made his eyes hurt, and Tyrian could feel an ache beginning to erupt in his throat as he bit back his sobs and tears. He continued to stare down at his own hands, looking for something there but finding himself unable to find any way to make things feel any better.

Cinder was quiet, and Tyrian found himself looking back over at her out of the corner of his eyes. She looked too calm, like all of the anger and frustration that Tyrian had seen out of her when he'd first met her was gone. Instead, she just sat there so calmly and watched him.

Tyrian whimpered and curled in on himself, rubbing against his right arm with his left hand. Ignoring the pain on on the back of his hand where his newest injury had bloomed was incredibly difficult, but it was necessary. It was how his Goddess communicated her instructions to him.

Cinder turned in her seat though, turning to face Tyrian a little bit more directly. "What did you see then?"

Tyrian blinked hard, trying to get the tears to go away from his eyes before he looked over at Cinder more directly. Their eyes met and Tyrian sat up slightly, holding his head up and trying to find the right words.

When he thought of what he'd seen, it was almost enough to make Tyrian's heart burst in his chest. No matter what pains he felt, he couldn't help but to feel the love that his goddess had for him.

What sort of Goddess wouldn't reach out to someone that loved Her?

"I saw-" Tyrian let out a high pitched noise that bordered along a whine and squeal of delight. "Oh, dear Ember, you could never understand."

The girl was staring at her, looking like she was just a little bit more than unnerved. Tyrian almost felt the need to squirm away and show that he wasn't feeling that upset by it, but he did nothing. All that he did was search for the best possible way that he could explain things to Cinder. She surely had never seen the Goddess, she would never be able to understand her love or Her beauty.

How could anyone understand it without having seen it firsthand? It was the thing that made Tyrian feel like he didn't mind being around Hazel and Arthur. They had both seen their Goddess, and they both knew Her strength.

But Cinder was smart, and she seemed to insist on continuing on with the topic.

"Why don't you help me to understand?"

Tyrian's eyes widened and he actually found himself clapping in front of him with outstretched hands for just a moment in something that bordered along delight in feeling.

But he needed to reply, and so Tyrian did with a giggle and a single word.

" _Gladly._ "

* * *

"Why are you so excited?" Yang asked as Ruby practically skipped along in front of her. Ruby didn't pay it too much mind, but she did let herself turn and face her sister more directly with a wide smile stretched across her face as she walked.

"We're going on a mission!" Ruby exclaimed, her eyes wide and her excitement clearly bursting out of every seam of her body. She practically hopped when she spoke, and she didn't miss the way that Yang almost rolled her eyes at her in response. "C'mon Yang, you know you're excited."

"I mean, I am." Yang replied, rolling her right shoulder and holding her head up as she walked. Ruby watched her sister and decided to slow down for just a moment before whirling and falling into step at Ruby's side. "But-"

"But?" Ruby knew that she cocked her head a little bit in response. "But what?!"

"But it's not a big one." Yang answered with a roll of her eyes. "It's just one of the boring recon missions that they send people out on every month or so."

"Yeah, well..." Ruby frowned slightly. She knew that her older sister was right about it, but she said nothing else. "We get to go on one. It's a mission, who cares what it is?"

"Ruby, we don't even know who we're going with." Yang shrugged as she turned her hands over, checking that her weapons were ready for whatever came towards them that day. "It's not like they send pairs out for anything. _Especially_ student pairs."

"Does it really matter?" Ruby asked, blinking and looking up at Yang. "I mean, we're going to be on a team because that's how things are supposed to be." She shook her head, pushing back her doubt as much as she could as she kept on walking. "Does it really matter who we're with if we can work with them?"

"Well-" Yang spoke up, taking a step forward so that she was facing Ruby as she walked backwards now. It was a switch on their positions, but not at all an unwelcome one. "For one, you and I are first years."

"And?"

"And if we're going on one of those recon missions and we end up in trouble when we're out there, how are we supposed to defend ourselves."

"Uh, we fight." Ruby replied, gesturing widely with her arms. "Why do you think we're here?" She didn't really know why Yang was being this way at the moment, but she also didn't want to think about it all that much. "C'mon Yang, Professor Goodwitch says that we're some of the best in our year."

"Yeah, sure." Yang answered. "But if we get into trouble and we can't fight back, we're screwed, you get that right?"

Ruby pouted. She looked up into her older sister's eyes and tried to find something there, but only found the typical sort of expression on Yang's face. "I don't think we're _that_ screwed." Ruby said, trying to keep herself sounding as confident as she could possibly manage despite the fact that it wasn't that easy to. "I mean, we're good. You and I know how to deal with small grimm, we've been trained by dad and uncle Qrow, we go to Beacon..."

"But we're kids." Yang paused and turned to face her sister, her voice serious as she fell back into line at Ruby's side. "We're not going to be able to protect anything if we end up getting hurt on our first mission."

Ruby nodded along. Deep down she _knew_ that Yang was right, but she didn't want to go thinking that she wasn't capable of holding her own on the battlefield. She was a good huntress- even if she _was_ just in training, she had a good semblance that was enough to keep her out of trouble as much as she needed. She wanted for Yang to believe in her.

But it didn't feel like Yang did believe in her, and so Ruby couldn't help but feel uneasy.

She pursed her lips and her hands made their ways to the straps of her backpack as she continued to walk beside Yang. "I just don't want to think that we won't be able to do this."

Yang let out a sigh, and she didn't sound comfortable with things either. "I think we're going to be fine, I just don't think that we should be thinking that..." Yang's voice trailed off, and Ruby raised an eyebrow in some interest as she looked over at her older sister.

"Yang?"

"We're here." Yang answered, smiling and looking over at Ruby. "We're supposed to be meeting with Professor Ozpin and we're going to meet our team there. You know that."

Ruby groaned in frustration, partially because the last thing that she really wanted to do was go through a meeting with one of their professors. It just wasn't something that she looked forward to, or something that she could really say that she really ever had looked forward to.

"You think they're going to be good about it?"

"I think they'll be fine." Yang said as she pressed the button that was going to bring them up to Ozpin's office. "Besides, if we're here early there's a chance that we'll get to see Uncle Qrow."

Ruby blinked, having a momentary realization that there was something to talk about. If they saw Uncle Qrow and he was already there in Ozpin's office waiting for them for whatever reason, then Ruby couldn't help but wonder about it. What if they were only going up to Ozpin's office because Qrow had suggested them for the mission?

It was a worry that began to build up in Ruby's chest. It wasn't to say that she didn't like Qrow, or that she didn't appreciate any of his help.

But if Ruby was going to be getting chosen for missions and sent out into the world to fight and defend, she wanted it to be for her own merits.

Not because of someone that she knew.

Yang was looking down at her though, and she looked concerned. Ruby blinked and turned her head to look up at Yang. Neither of them said anything to each other. Their eyes met, and Yang let out a quiet noise before speaking up. "Ruby?"

Ruby frowned and looked back down at the tile floor in front of her. Her grip on her backpack tightened just a little bit more, and Ruby couldn't help the nervousness that continued to build She wanted to go on her mission with Yang, but she was worried.

She was never going to stop feeling that way.

But Ruby knew that she needed to say something to Yang, if only because that was what she needed to do to make Yang feel a little bit better about things herself.

Ruby shook her head, pursing her lips and letting herself hide behind her bangs, just a little bit as she waited there with her sister for the elevator. The delay on it meant that there was probably someone already up in Ozpin's office in a meeting, and so it was going to up to Yang and Ruby to wait until things were over with.

"I just..." Ruby let out an annoyed sigh. "What if we're only on this because of dad and Qrow?"

"That's not it." Yang replied with a smile. "Trust me on that. We are actually good, Ruby, it's just-"

"Just what?"

"We just happen to have connections." Yang blinked, turning to walk over to one of the benches near the elevator doors. If they were going to wait, it was probably better if they seated themselves anyways, Ruby figured. She sighed and made her way over to the bench, where she dropped down into a seat next to Yang.

"But what if that's-"

"It's not." Yang answered. "Ruby, you can move so fast that it's like you're flying. I'm basically indestructible." The blonde leaned back, resting her head against the wall behind them. Ruby sighed and pulled off her backpack, leaning back against the wall in the same way as Ruby set her backpack on the flood at her side.

"And?"

"The point is that we're actually strong, Ruby." Yang answered with a roll of her eyes. "And we can't be worrying about this sort of thing when we're going to have a mission to go on."

Ruby blinked, staring up at the ceiling now, looking for just about anything that could make her feel a little more relaxed. She concentrated on a single spot above her, for no reason other than it was just easier for her. Her eyes closed and she let out a quiet sigh. "Is this normal?"

"What?" Yang replied. "Being nervous before a meeting with the headmaster, or being nervous about a meeting?"

Ruby pulled her eyes away from the spot on the ceiling and looked over and into Yang's violet eyes. "Both, I guess."

Yang groaned and looked up at the ceiling now. She seemed a little bit more ready for the things that were coming ahead of them herself. "I'm going to take a guess and say yes, Rubes."

"Right." Ruby said, shaking her head and sitting up properly. Her legs hung off of the bench, her toes just barely brushing against the floor. "I'm just nervous."

"Normal." Yang said calmly. "C'mon, we're going to be fine."

"I know." Ruby said, forcing on a smile. "I just don't like all of the stuff before we have to go and go on our mission." She shook her head. "Seems like it'd be easier if we could just grab our weapons and just go."

"Yeah, well..." Yang hesitated, looking down at her bracelets one more time in an attempt to relax herself. "I think this is better if we're going to get out of this fine."

Ruby pouted again, knowing that it wasn't the most becoming thing that she could do in that circumstance, but she also mostly just didn't care. She swung her legs, hoping that it would be enough to help her alleviate some of her nervousness, even if it was for only a little while.

"I know." Ruby mumbled finally, knowing that she wasn't sounding happy about it at all. "I just don't like the meetings thing." She shifted slightly to look out the window that was behind her and her sister. It pointed in the wrong direction. Instead of overlooking the forest, it was staring back at the city of Vale itself.

Ruby loved the city, she called it home.

But it wasn't enough to make her feel better.

* * *

The only comfort that she found was in the gentle weight of her sister's hand on her shoulder that dragged her back to land so easily.

Weiss sat in Ozpin's office, surrounded by teachers who were trying to talk about her impromptu exam, among other things.

She felt distant from it all. It was like she couldn't figure out where she was meant to be, or what she was meant to be doing. Weiss knew that she was going to have to go and find her father eventually so that she could return to her room for the night.

But it wasn't that simple.

Every time that Weiss looked just about anywhere in the room that wasn't her own lap, she was reminded of the fact that she was going to be returning with evidence of her disobedience written clear across her face.

The injury was ugly. It cut down her brow and her face over her right eye all too cleanly. The fact that she even still had her eye was a miracle, but Weiss didn't know how to feel about the injury.

Weiss wanted to think about it in terms of it being her first proper battle score. She'd won in a fight, that was all that was needed to quality as a battle scar, right? Or was there something else that Weiss didn't have?

She didn't know, and that scared her.

The professors were all talking about something that Weiss was only managing to tune into once in awhile.

It seemed like they didn't know how to deal with her injury as well. All the treatment that had been possible with the particular resources available to them had been done. Now it was a matter of her own aura recovering and doing the rest.

All that was sure, according to Glynda Goodwitch, was that it was going to scar.

Ozpin seemed to be taking it from as calm a demeanor as possible, and Glynda was doing her best to offer comfort to Weiss in any way that she could. It had come in the form of a cup of coffee, and then a soft blanket draped over her shoulders.

And then there was General Ironwood. He'd come to the match late, for reasons that nobody had bothered to question because it was assumed that he'd been too busy to arrive on time.

The general was keeping quiet, but Weiss couldn't shake the feeling that he was trying to hide his feelings for her sake.

It was there, rippling under the surface and ready to strike out at any point.

It was anger. Fear. It was frustration.

Maybe the others weren't noticing it, Weiss thought to herself as she watched the general. She was used to seeing people hiding the way that they felt and thought at every turn.

It was possible that Ozpin and Glynda weren't used to that.

"We can't just send her back to Jacques like this." James growled, his voice insistent and him holding himself tall so that he had a physical sort of upper hand. "I know how he is, he'll-" James cut himself off and he glanced over at Weiss.

Their eyes met, and Weiss wondered what she was supposed to do. Was he asking her some sort of question?

Weiss felt all of the color drain out of her face when she realized what the general was so subtly asking. He was trying to ask her how far he was allowed to go when he talked.

She didn't know why she hadn't considered that the general might now about how her father could be. It was a known fact that the general and her sister had been in contact multiple times in the past.

She nodded slowly, and the general returned the gesture in a silent show of solidarity before speaking up again. "We can't just send Miss Schnee back to the most powerful family in Atlas without-"

"Funny," Ozpin commented, watching the general closely. "I'd been under the impression that _you_ were the most powerful man in Atlas, James."

The general's expression flicked to one of annoyance for just a moment before he decided to answer. "It doesn't matter." James said calmly, clearly deflecting the topic away from himself for his own sake. "I'm not sure that Jacques will react well to this."

Weiss was about to open her mouth to interject when Ozpin spoke up.

"Jacques Schnee's reaction will have to be seen to." They said calmly. "It isn't in our place to jump to conclusions on what will happen." Their eyes were focused on General Ironwood, and for a moment, Weiss couldn't quite figure out what was trying to be said. It was like there was some detail that was going unsaid, or that everyone was trying to dodge around.

The general took a half-step forward. "Ozpin, the reports that I've-"

"Are reports, James." Ozpin cut him off. "I understand your concern, but we can't justifiably hold Miss Schnee as a hostage from her father because of what her older sister has said and without any-"

Weiss grit her teeth and finally she felt the frustration that boiled underneath her skin getting to be too great. There was going to be absolutely no way for her to ignore this anymore.

She was in the room, and she _deserved_ to be treated like an adult.

"Excuse me." Weiss said, pushing herself up to her feet and setting Myrtenaster on the desk in front of her as she did so. Weiss took a moment to smooth her dress down on her body as she waited for the adults to pay her the attention that she demanded of them and needed from them. "If I may-"

General Ironwood was the first to notice that she was trying to speak, and he turned to her in a way that almost felt submissive. It reminded her of the way that he had bowed so low when she'd first met him days before.

"What is it, Miss Schnee?" The General ask, his voice dropping in volume and any frustration and anger that had been there before fading out of his tone all at once.

"I don't know that I want to go back to my father." Weiss explained, glancing down at her weapon. "As much as I wish to inherit the Schnee Dust Company and restore my family name-" She paused, reaching out so that her fingers could dance over the hilt of Myrtenaster. "I don't know that's the best way to go about it."

The general turned to her, taking a half-step forward and meeting her face to face now. For the first time, Weiss was realizing how tall he was. The two other professors in the room also moved, sidling up to the general's sides in interest.

Glynda stood on his right side, and Ozpin on his left.

Between the three of them, Weiss couldn't help but feel at least a little bit intimidated.

"You do understand what you are saying, Miss Schnee?" The general asked her. His voice was gravely serious, but under all of that, there was something else. A challenge, perhaps. Encouragement maybe.

"I do." Weiss answered, standing up tall. "I'll have to retrieve my belongings from my family's quarters, but I believe I belong here rather than in Atlas."

Ozpin and James' eyes met for a second in a silent conversation, and then the general nodded. He focused his blue eyes back onto Weiss before speaking again. "I recommend you don't make this choice rashly, Miss Schnee." He said quietly. "You know what happened with your sister."

Weiss tried not to react too much to that. If there was anything that could confirm that the general knew about the wrath of Jacques Schnee, it was that. And even then, Weiss couldn't shake the feeling that he knew even more than he was allowing himself to show.

"I do." Weiss confirmed. She turned just slightly to face Ozpin now. "Before I make any decisions, I need to know-" She paused, watching Ozpin for any reaction. "Did I pass?"

Ozpin didn't answer her.

They only smiled.


	11. Homelands

There wasn't much that could be said for Qrow Branwen's apartment. It seemed like crammed into every corner there was a mess, or something that was otherwise out of order. There were empty bottles on window sills, and the blankets and furniture were worn out.

But despite all of that, it felt like a home.

Blake work up on Qrow's couch to the morning sun shining through the window and reflecting off of green glass bottles which spread their color over the walls. She couldn't quite ignore how uncomfortable an arrangement it was, but mostly Blake was feeling lost because she didn't know what she could do in a stranger's apartment, regardless of what had brought her there.

It had been a long time since she'd last been in a proper house. In fact, it had probably been close to three years since she'd set foot in someone's permanent home instead of a tent or a motel room. ' _Home'_ was a distant memory, and nothing was ever going to be enough to match up to the space that she'd been raised in. Nothing was like her father's house.

Nothing was so cavernous or comfortable.

Qrow's apartment was absolutely nothing like the Belladonna manse in Menagerie that Blake had once called home.

It was small and cramped, and definitely not in the best state of repair. It was very obviously the home of someone that didn't have much going on in his life beyond work, or at least wasn't interested in staying in one place. To Blake, it was the obvious home of a drifter, with just the minimal amount of things to make it feel like a permanent home. There were some photographs here and there, and the kitchen was a complete mess, in the best way.

Qrow came into the tiny living room where Blake was sitting awake and trying to relax. It was enough to make her head snap up in attention at the first realization that Qrow was there. She couldn't fight back the way that her heart began to beat too hard in her chest, or the way that she had to fight back the reaction from her ears that made them want to flatten back against her head.

Qrow didn't know that she was a faunus, Blake had to remind herself of that as many times as she had to. It was never going to make her feel all that comfortable, but she had to do her best to keep her secrets safe and secure. Blake was glad for the bow she'd tied over her ears.

"Hey kid." Qrow greeted her, giving her a look as he rubbed at his dark hair. It didn't seem like he was actually going to take the time to groom it down, but that wasn't something that Blake minded so much. Surely this man was a huntsman, and that bought him some freedom to do whatever he wanted for the most part.

"Qrow." Blake greeted him. She glanced down at her hands to make sure that there were no bruises showing that could betray her vulnerabilities to Qrow.

"How's it going?" Qrow asked, dropping down into one of the chairs in the room across from Blake. He didn't dare get close to her, and that was something that Blake definitely found relief in. It meant that she was safe, if even for a little while.

Despite Qrow's kindness, Blake still couldn't shake the feeling that something could go wrong at any turn.

She couldn't make herself feel like she didn't have to be getting ready to run at the first sign that things were turning or going wrong.

Adam hung too fresh in the back of her mind.

But Blake needed to answer Qrow, she knew that fully well. "I'm fine." Blake said quietly, since she was sure that nothing else was going to work. "Why?"

"Just checking in." Qrow answered with a slight shrug. "Figured that's the friendly way to do things."

"Right." Blake said, trying not to grimace as she thought back to the very obvious reason that Qrow would have been asking about things. Qrow was thinking about how she'd mutilated Weiss Schnee's face the day before.

He was probably trying to figure out whether or not she felt anything over it.

"Just fine?" Qrow asked again, leaning back in his seat. He looked a little bit concerned, but Blake didn't want to read into it too much.

"Yes." Blake replied, forcing herself not to let herself show too much emotion or frustration with the situation. "I slept fine, if that's what you want to know."

"It's not, but it's good to know." Qrow answered with a slight shrug. "I was worried for a little bit but-"

"But what?" Blake asked, still resisting that urge to flatten her ears and let things show with her entire body. It was safer to be reserved. Blake knew that.

"But you're a tough kid." Qrow replied with a shrug. "Not much to worry about with you."

"Is that-" Blake cut herself off. "You know that I'm not a kid, right?"

"I do." Qrow answered. "I've got a niece your age. Good kid, her name's Yang. You might run into her up at Beacon. She's a first year, along with her little sister Ruby."

"I don't-"

"I'm not going to force it, Blake." Qrow shrugged. "Just letting you know that she's around and I know you aren't a kid. You're an adult, even if people don't let you feel that way." Qrow stared her down a little bit more intensely than Blake would have expected.

Blake paused, more than just a little bit unsure of what to make of Qrow's comment. It felt like he was giving her a vote of confidence in something that was entirely too personal. In fact, Blake couldn't really remember a time when someone had looked at her and treated her like an adult.

Not outside of the White Fang, at least.

But that wasn't like normal society. The group that Blake had been with were all the radicals. They were young and just beginning to cut their teeth on violence. They were running from things at home, while the adults stayed back in villages or in Menagerie doing their best to play politics.

Not that they were any good at it.

But it was different. All of them were adults on the battlefield.

Qrow seemed to understand that, and Blake couldn't have been more grateful for that fact.

She stared down at her hands, not quite sure of what she wanted to do before she finally decided to speak up again. "Is there some reason that you're telling me this?" Blake peeled her eyes up from her hands slowly to see that Qrow was sitting there, looking almost bewildered but at the very least _confident._

"Yeah," Qrow answered with a slight shrug. "Oz wanted me to make sure that you came up to the academy."

"Ozpin-"

"You got in." Qrow said, gesturing calmly and relaxing just a little bit more. "I guess Oz wanted to make sure that you got settled in alright down there."

Blake took a deep breath, knowing that it was for the best if she took her things and went with Qrow so that she could start to do her part to fix things.

"Right." Blake commented, shifting slightly on the couch and trying not to move her ears in an attempt to stretch them. "When should we go?"

Qrow didn't answer her. He just smiled at her and got up.

The way that he slipped out of the room said enough. They were going to go when she was ready for it.

Okay then, Blake thought to herself.

She could handle that.

* * *

Weiss had slipped into her family's suite the night before without much attention paid to her. Whitley had already been asleep, and when Weiss had gone to bed, her father hadn't even bothered to greet her.

That was a good thing, Weiss decided. If he was too busy with his scroll and whatever business it was that he was conducting on it, then it meant that she was safe, at least for a little while. Weiss wasn't going to rely on that to get her through the day, but she could do her best to fade into the background.

Morning was another situation entirely, though.

Her aura had managed to recover enough that her body had begun to heal, at least slightly. The wound over her eye was beginning to knit itself back together, but it was very obvious that there was going to be a fairly obvious scar left behind.

The more that she thought about it, the more that Weiss became okay with the prospect of it being a permanent mark on her features.

When she got a good look at herself in the mirror that morning, she'd realized that it wasn't _wholly_ unattractive. It was just a new feature that she was going to need time to adapt to.

It was her face. In a way, Weiss almost preferred it with the scar. It was something to be proud of. It was a proper battle scar. It was _hers._

Her father hated it .

The cut was an obvious sign of her making a disappointment of herself. It was physical proof of her disobedience.

He stared her down over the morning newspaper, with his eyes so dangerously narrowed and his scowl showing so obviously on his face that Weiss almost shrank back instinctively at the first glance of him.

"Weiss." He spoke coldly, not wavering and not daring to let himself sound kind. That was to be expected.

Weiss realized what was happening, and so she stood up tall and laced her fingers together in front of her as she stood there under her father's scrutiny.

"Yes Father?" Weiss asked, bowing her head just slightly when she spoke.

"What is that on your face?"

Weiss tried to think fast for an answer that would be enough to cover up the reality of what had happened.

Nothing came to mind, other than what she was sure that she was going to end up hearing from her father in the long run of things.

She was waiting for the inevitable comparison to her sister.

"It's a cut, father." Weiss replied, not looking up to look her father in the eye.

"And how would you say that you gained such an unsightly injury?" He leaned in towards her, placing the newspaper down on the table in front of him. It was folded too cleanly.

Her father's rage radiated off of every part of his body.

"It was an accident." Weiss responded.

"An accident?" He moved, stalking towards her like a lion. He didn't peel his eyes away from her for so much as a split second. When he walked, he kept his arms behind him.

Weiss was sure that she had at least some idea of what was going to come next.

"Yes," Weiss answered. Still no suitable answer that she could give her father about what had happened came to mind, and that was the most terrifying thing of all. She had no way to cover her tracks. "I fell."

"Fell?" Her father replied with a sneer. "And where would you say you fell?"

Weiss didn't need any time to realize that _'my opponent's sword'_ was a bad answer.

"I-" Weiss tried to speak up, but her words caught in her throat and made it impossible to go any further.

"You didn't fall." He cut her off before she could even get close to giving an answer. He leaned back against the table, all too menacing in the motion as he observed her with dangerously narrowed eyes. "Did you?"

"I-"

"Now, Weiss." He cut her off again, blinking. "You wouldn't want to end up like your sister, would you?"

She wasn't given a chance to answer. Instead, her father decided to keep talking.

"If you've decided to chase after some _delusion_ of being a huntress while you are here with me, you are sorely mistaken if you think that you'll find that working out in your favor."

Weiss looked down at the floor. She was almost positive that she was giving a tell to show that he knew exactly what she'd been up to. This was exactly what she'd been fearing from her father. The only good thing about it was that she'd had the night before to begin healing instead of him noticing the injury when she'd come home initially.

"Father, I-"

"Weiss." He spoke, so calmly that it was almost like the anger had somehow drained out of him all at once. It was chilling to experience, and Weiss had to push back a shiver. "Why would you disgrace me like this?"

Her heart sank further and further. "I didn't mean to-"

"I seriously doubt that." Her father cut her off once more, not daring to let Weiss have a proper way into the conversation with everything brought into situation. "You knew exactly what you were doing, didn't you?"

Weiss swallowed and finally she found herself changing how she was holding herself. No longer did she stand up straight and proud. Now, she shrank back, reaching up to hug herself and looking away from her father in an attempt to make herself feel a little bit safer. It wasn't going to work, Weiss knew that.

But she needed to at least _try_.

"It was an accident, really." Weiss replied, glancing up at her father for just a split second before tearing her gaze back away. "I'm sorry."

"No," Her father replied, scarily cold. "You aren't, are you?" He paused, raising a hand and turning it in his gaze. Weiss glanced over out of the corner of her eye to see that he had taken the moment to turn his wedding ring on one of his fingers with a thumb. "You think that you won't see punishment for this."

"I don't." Weiss managed to get a word out, entirely too quietly. "I'm sorry-"

"No." Her father cut her off again. Weiss bit her lip, realizing now that he had absolutely no intentions of letting her get a word in, edgewise or otherwise. That wasn't good. "You're too much like your sister, you know that?" He dropped his hand back down to his side, resting it on the table. "Too willing to break the rules and disobey me, and in the name of what-"

He scoffed.

"I should have known that letting you see her was trouble, Weiss." Her father said too calmly. "I should have known that she would have turned you away from me, and yet I still let you see her out of the charity of my heart."

Weiss had to bite her tongue at that. Charity wasn't an object to her father, it was only a way for him to get what he wanted and show himself off as a better person than he really was. Weiss knew how he worked too well to imagine it being anything else.

"How do you think it'll look when people see that my daughter, my _heir_ has such an unsightly wound?" Her father put so much emphasis on the word 'heir' that Weiss had no choice but to pick her head up and make eye contact again. It was too commanding, it was too hard for her to ignore it.

He was waving her position around in front of her face like he thought that it was going to be enough to stop her.

Or worse, he was trying to break her down so that she didn't dare even consider trying to slip away from him again.

Deep down, Weiss knew for a fact that was the case. She just really didn't want to have to think about it in those terms, since it was too painful.

"I don't think it's that bad." Weiss managed to speak up, and surprisingly, she was actually allowed to say the things that she meant to say. This time, he made no effort to cut her off or whittle her down.

It was a good thing, Weiss supposed. It could have been worse, at the very least.

"Don't think it's that bad?" Her father sneered back at her. "Have you seen yourself, or are you just telling yourself that it's nothing _severe_?"

"Father, I-"

"Weiss." He leaned in towards her closely, bringing one hand up and pointing at her with clear intent. "You are going to tell me what happened to your face, and only then will I decide how to pass judgement."

Weiss had to think hard before she let herself say anything to her father about what had happened. It wasn't going to be a good idea for her to say what had happened the night before with regards to her fight against that girl.

Blake, her name had been.

She'd been brutal.

But Weiss needed to come up with something that she could say to explain herself with.

"I..." Weiss paused. "I was given permission to try one of the combat simulations and I was injured." Weiss explained herself, staring down at her feet and pressing her toes together like she thought that it was going to be enough to make her feel better about everything. It wasn't enough. It never would be.

"Then what you're saying is that you came to Vale armed?" He stared her down, not letting his gaze flicker away from her for so much as a split second. "Weiss, you know that this doesn't look good for the family."

"I thought that-"

"You thought incorrectly." He took the first steps forward. "And it seems to me that you were looking to impress someone in doing what you did."

Weiss' eyes widened involuntarily at the realization that her father had figured out exactly what was going on with her. He knew. That was all that she could think about, and there was absolutely no way for her to begin to peel herself away from that sort of thought. It was too close.

He knew.

Maybe he'd spoken to the General, maybe he'd heard a rumor through the grapevine.

Maybe-

Weiss froze in place, realizing very easily who the most likely culprit for making her situation as it was right now was.

 _Whitley._

He'd probably heard something from Whitley.

But Weiss still needed to answer him. That much wasn't going to chance.

"I wasn't trying to-"

"Weiss, did you think that this academy would want you?"

Those words were enough. Weiss shrank back slightly, not wanting to get too close or let herself show any more than she was sure she was already showing in that moment. But in doing that, Weiss knew that she'd accidentally told her father everything that he'd needed.

"You did." He muttered. "Weiss, you're going to go to the headmaster's office, and you are going to apologize for him for wasting his time."

"But-"

"Weiss." He leaned in towards her again. "I don't think that you should try to fight me on this. It's for the best if you listen to me, and go and patch up this little problem because you can make yourself more of an embarrassment for me and for our family."

Weiss took a deep breath.

"Is that what you want me to do?"

"I believe that it would make quite a few people happy." He responded, his voice too cold. "Now, I only want to see you again once I know that you won't be worsening the situation already at hand."

Weiss nodded slowly. "Yes, father."

"Good." He said, gesturing to the door. "You're going to hide that thing, and then I'll see you again very soon, I suspect."

Weiss nodded slowly again before slipping out of the room and into the private one that had been hers. She paused while she was in there, feeling a certain flit of nervousness that began to overtake her at the realization of everything that was wrong with the situation.

If she left the room alone, Weiss wasn't sure what she was going to come back to.

What if she came back and Myrtenaster was _gone_?

She had to make a decision.

Weiss' gaze slipped over to the window, and she thought hard for a moment before everything that she needed to do came to mind. Staying was too risky, but she couldn't risk the possibility of what happened if she left too.

But Weiss had something that she could do, and her semblance offered her quite a bit that would let her get out of this situation in a manner that could at the very least be called clean.

Weiss dressed herself and pushed the window open.

She leaned out of in, looking from side to side and then down as she tried to get a good idea of how far off of the ground she was. They were on the third story of the building by the looks of things. It was going to be hard to do, but Weiss was confident in her abilities.

Carefully, she climbed up to the edge of the window and activated her semblance, hoping that she could make this happen.

Weiss formed a small glyph, just a basic gravity based one. Carefully, she set her weapon on it, and without Myrtenaster there to help her focus, the glyph became harder to maintain.

But that was fine, Weiss thought to herself as she focused hard on that glyph and began to lower it.

She needed to get it down to the ground, and then she was going to be able to get out of this.

Weiss lost the ability to maintain it when the glyph was probably about a floor down from where she was.

She couldn't help the wince over what had happened, but Weiss also couldn't linger there.

The sword was there, lying in the grass.

In theory, she could get out of the suite in time and head downstairs before she had to deal with it.

Time to go.

Weiss closed the window again and stepped away from it. She checked over her clothing one last time before beginning on the way out of the room and past her father. She was careful to slip out once nobody was there to see her.  
Almost as soon as the door was closed and she was halfway down the hall and hopefully out of earshot, Weiss broke into a jog for the stairs.

She had to get to the ground as fast as possible.

It was a matter of running, as fast as her feet could carry her down the stairs while she was in heels.

She found herself on the ground floor, and once she was outside, there was already someone waiting there for her.

It was the girl that she'd seen fight a few nights before, the one with the long red hair.

She was taller than Weiss had first imagined, with bright green eyes and a soft smile.

"I think you dropped this?" The girl offered Myrtenaster, the weapon held gently in her hands as she made the offer.

"I... did." Weiss answered, reaching out to take it. "I'm sorry."

"You really should be more careful," The redhead commented with a soft smile. "You could have really hurt someone."

"I'm sorry." Weiss said again, turning Myrtenaster in her hand.

There was no sign that it had even struck the ground.

But even then, Weiss could still practically feel the shame wash over her at the realization that this girl had intercepted her weapon's fall.

"It's quite alright." The girl answered, stepping back and lacing her fingers together behind her back in a way that read as being extremely relaxed. She was kind, and even smiled at Weiss despite everything. "It was really no problem."

Weiss thought fast, since she was sure that she needed to do something to thank the other girl at some point, but she wasn't sure of what she could actually do. "Is there any way that I can repay you?" Weiss asked. Her eyes flicked up to the windows on the building that were above her, checking to make sure that nobody from her family was spying on her. Of course, there was the possibility that she was being overheard, but Weiss didn't want to think about that too much.

She was outside with a weapon, and Weiss was ready to fight, at least on some level.

"It's really quite alright." The girl repeated again. "I'm Pyrrha." She reached out, offering Weiss and open hand. Weiss was about to take her hand when she froze, realizing that she knew the other girls' name.

It wasn't worth bringing up, was it?

"Pyrrha Nikos?" Weiss asked, looking for some sort of confirmation.

Pyrrha's green eyes seemed to soften a little bit at the mention of her name, but Weiss couldn't shake the feeling that there was sadness in it. "Yes." Pyrrha said, shaking Weiss' hand quickly before pulling away. "That's me."

"Right." Weiss said quietly. "It was nice to meet you."

"You never even told me your name." Pyrrha commented as Weiss took the first step away. Weiss paused, knowing that she needed to do something to correct the situation but not able to think of the right way to go about it.

"Weiss." She replied quickly. "My name is Weiss."

"Right." Pyrrha replied. "It was nice to meet you, Weiss."

"Likewise." Weiss answered, bowing slightly and backing away from Pyrrha. She needed to get out of the area and up to Ozpin's office if she was going to get anything done, or if she thought that she was actually going to be able to act like she'd gone ahead and done what her father had commanded of her.

"Will I be seeing you around?" Pyrrha asked.

Weiss froze, her hand going over so that it could linger over Myrtenaster's hilt as she thought over her answer. She didn't really know, and so Weiss was sure to relay that before saying a quick goodbye and finding her way up to Ozpin's office.

When Weiss arrived, there was already a group of people there.

Three other girls, all roughly her age. Two of them that she recognized, in addition to professors Ozpin and Goodwitch.

They all stared at her when she stepped into the room.

Weiss' eyes met Blake Belladonna's and neither of them said anything.

Instead, Weiss held her head up high and tried not to make it look like there was even a shred of nervousness in her body that was going to make things worth worrying about.

Ozpin smiled softly.

Weiss wasn't even given a chance to explain herself to the room before a lecture of sorts began.


	12. Shining Beacons

"I'm glad to see that all of you made it here without any incident." Ozpin said quietly over the rim of their coffee mug. Their eyes were lingering on Weiss, and that was something that Ruby couldn't help but think was at least a little bit weird. That wasn't to say that Ozpin wasn't usually being weird somehow, but somehow the focus on Weiss felt a little weirder than normal.

Despite all of that, Ruby didn't say anything about it. After all, she was there with her sister to get ready for a mission. What else could possibly be more important?

At least, that was what she _thought_ the situation was going to be. The fact that Weiss had come late, and that the girl that Ruby had since learned was named Blake had come in with Uncle Qrow was enough to make Ruby think that there was definitely something more to this situation that she didn't know about.

When she thought back to her conversation with Yang, some of the things started to feel like they were falling into place.

This was going to be her _team_ , Ruby realized as her heart jumped in her chest.

Ozpin smiled softly and looked between the four of them. "I'm sure that you all must have some questions?"

"Yeah, actually." Yang spoke up, crossing her arms over her chest and taking the first step forward to look over the rest of the group. "Ruby and I were told that we were asked here for a mission, but then you have us here with some girls that we've never seen before." Her eyes narrowed slightly, and for a moment Ruby couldn't help but worry that her older sister's eyes were going to flash red. "What gives?"

"I could ask the same." Weiss spoke up, though she was looking down at the floor in something akin to submissiveness. This wasn't like the girl that Ruby had first met, Ruby thought to herself. Weiss had seemed so confident and even mean during their first meeting.

But now, something was wrong.

Ruby wished she could do something to help.

"Allow me to explain." Ozpin said calmly. "The four of you have been called to my office because you've all demonstrated potential as huntresses." They paused, looking over at Ruby and Yang. "Of course, you two have been at the academy for some time." They said quietly. "But Miss Belladonna and Miss Schnee both were granted entry into this academy last night."

Ruby blinked and looked over at the two girls. They'd taken the chance to position themselves on opposite sides of Ozpin's office almost. It was like Weiss and Blake wanted absolutely nothing to do with each other, but neither of them wanted to say anything to each other about it. It left Ruby worrying, because she didn't know what she was going to have to deal with.

If they were supposed to be teammates, then it was going to be a problem if Weiss and Blake couldn't get along for some reason. It left Ruby worrying, at least a little bit. She tried hard not to let it show.

"Sure," Yang retorted, still seeming deeply displeased. "So why do you want us here?"

"I decided last night while doing performance reviews that it was time to see how you and Miss Rose are suited to the battlefield." Ozpin said calmly, sipping from their coffee. "And because of the two new arrivals, and your status as being without a team, it seemed like a good opportunity to place Blake and Weiss for their classes."

"So the mission?" Ruby asked quietly.

"Of course." Ozpin said quietly, like this was exactly the sort of situation that they'd been preparing themself for. The ghost of a smile began to make its way onto their face. "Allow me to explain the mission."

The four girls all took a moment where they exchanged a glance between them, but it was short. They all seemed to be equally skeptical about what was to come ahead of them. None of them were going to go ahead and speak up though.

They would have time for proper introductions later, Ruby thought as she stood there and waited. She already knew Yang perfectly well, and she'd met Weiss, but Blake was a complete mystery to her so far.

Ozpin turned and stood, stepping away from their desk chair and taking two steps forward before pulling down a map of the area around Vale that had surely been there for a long time. All four of them stared forward at the map, searching for something. All four of them seemed to be _deeply_ interested in what was there for them to find.

"I've decided that I wanted to send the four of you on a simple reconnaissance mission." Ozpin explained. "As all of you are likely aware, there's been a high-threat grimm wandering just outside of the city and it's something that we've been keeping close watch on." All of the girls seemed to shift nervously, but some of them seemed to be much more uncomfortable about it than others were.

The girl named Blake in particular seemed to be tense about it. Ruby figured that she'd have to ask about it later, if they were going to be a team.

But for now, they needed to wait things out.

"Professor Ozpin." Weiss took a step forward to pull Ozpin's attention onto her as she stood there. "My father will notice my absence and I was sent here to-"

"You were sent with the intent of announcing your departure from Beacon?" Ozpin asked, so quickly that Weiss seemed to be stunned in place by the question.

Ruby blinked and picked her head up, watching Weiss' expressions as the girl began to attempt to explain her situation. Not too far away, Blake was standing there and rolling her eyes in some annoyance at Weiss' latest revelation.

"I was." Weiss confirmed. "To go on a mission like-"

"We'll discuss this later, Miss Schnee." Ozpin replied, keeping their voice calm. "Your status at this academy is guaranteed, but you'll need to make a decision. If you must leave, then I will not blame you, but this is a choice you need to make on your own." An uncomfortable sort of silence settled over all of them at that, and Weiss just nodded, her blue eyes downcast and her expression reading as dejected.

For the first time, Ruby could almost see some things beginning to fall into place. She didn't understand fully, but she could at least try to be a friend to Weiss if the other girl would allow for it.

Blake spoke up next, keeping her voice as even as possible. She looked disinterested, more focused on the mission briefing than anything else. "So this mission?"

Ozpin's eyes flickered between Weiss and Blake, and a moment later they decided to answer. "As I was saying, it's a simple reconnaissance mission outside of the city. All that you have to do is go out onto the roads and check that the threat isn't getting any closer. Reports of what things look like on the ground will be very useful to us." Ozpin didn't say who ' _us'_ was, but Ruby figured they meant the local Hunters, or the people of the City. Surely it didn't matter, as long as everyone was safe?

Ruby raised a hand, knowing that it probably wasn't the best way to get Ozpin's attention, but she couldn't think of a better way of getting that attention without getting closer or leaving the spot that she'd decided to take. "Um, Professor Ozpin?"

"Yes, Miss Rose?"

Ruby brought her hand back down to her side, letting it hang there. "How will we know that it's gotten closer?"

"You'll be presented with recent information by a senior huntsman before we send you out into the field with him." Ozpin explained calmly. "Since this will be your first proper mission, it was more appropriate that we send you with someone who has proven his mettle."

"And if we run into trouble?" Yang asked, drawing the attention back over to her. "I know that Ruby and I are some of the best in our class, but I don't want us getting killed because of a bad mission."

Ozpin's eyes snapped over to Yang, and there looked like there was something akin to recognition swimming in their gaze. It was weird, like Ozpin had almost been _expecting_ to hear that out of Yang. Of course, Ruby figured that Ozpin knew their parents, but that didn't explain that sort of reaction.

Why would Ozpin act that way towards Yang?

"If things go poorly on your mission," Ozpin began all too calmly. "Then the huntsman that I've decided to assign to assist you will be there to aid you in action."

"Who are we going with, anyways?" Yang spoke up, gesturing openly to try and get an answer of some sort out of Ozpin about what was actually going to be going on.

"That'll be something that you'll have to wait to find out." Ozpin said calmly. "Now, do understand, you'll be given more up to date information before your departure." They paused. "In the meantime, the four of you should take your time to bond as a team and try to find strategies that work before going out into the field."

Their eyes settled on Blake. "Will that be a problem?"

Blake seemed to grit her teeth, but Ruby tried not to think about it too much. Instead, she decided that the best that she could do was try to offer some sort of distraction.

"Will we be able to use the training rooms?"

"You will." Ozpin replied. "Miss Schnee, Miss Belladonna, will you be able to find them on your own?"

"Yes." Blake answered, keeping herself standing tall. Weiss' answer was to nod slowly.

Ozpin nodded and stood up, looking between the four of them. "In that case, I will be getting into contact with the four of you shortly when it's time to prepare to leave." They looked over at Weiss. "Miss Schnee, you and I have to talk it seems."

"Of course." Weiss responded.

Ruby and her exchanged a quick look as the three others left the room, and when the door closed behind her and her new teammates, Ruby couldn't help the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Yang was already waiting outside, and Blake was there as well, though she seemed to be doing her best to keep some distance between herself and the others in the group.

"So." Ruby said, offering Blake a hand. "I'm Ruby."

"Blake." The girl responded, reaching out to give Ruby's hand a quick shake before dropping it. "And you're?"

"Yang Xiao Long." The last of the three girls spoke up. "Ruby's older sister."

Blake looked between Ruby and Yang, looking for something, and a moment later she spoke up. "You don't look like sisters."

"We have the same dad." Yang answered, keeping her voice almost hard. Ruby couldn't help but start to worry about that, if only because she didn't know what was going to happen if her new team didn't start to warm up to each other. It was only a matter of time before Yang would get angry, and the fact that there was still someone in Professor Ozpin's office was worrying enough on its own.

Ruby didn't know how they were all going to fit together, other than the fact that they all had to work together on at least some level.

"I see." Blake said calmly. Her amber colored eyes flickered between Ruby and Yang, and it seemed like she was about to ask a question when the door opened and Weiss stepped out, looking a little exhausted but mostly silent.

The four of them all stood there for a little while and did nothing more than stare at each other.

* * *

After a day of endless travelling, annoyances, and having nothing to do with themselves but talk and check roads, the group of four finally came to a stop in a clearing where they thought they'd be able to rest for a little while before continuing.

Presently, Arthur stood there with his nose buried in a map as he made an attempt to find a way to make the group's travels get a little bit easier. He seriously doubted that it would work, but seeing as the children seemed to need a break and Hazel was insisting that they were on the right path, it was up to Arthur to do all of the fact checking for them.

It was a pain being the only remotely competent one amongst them. Tyrian was unreliable, Cinder was near useless, and Hazel was too single-minded to be of any true usefulness out of a battle most of the time.

And Arthur Watts hated having to do all of the thinking for the four of them.

Everything that they had found, and all of the information that they'd found ever since starting their search said that they were close. During the nights, the appearance of grimm that weren't the hulking behemoths that dominated the landscapes were becoming more and more common. Arthur had been doing his best to keep track of their emergences, but appearances of smaller grimm were walys infrequent and too commonly only seen from a distance. The possibility that they had only seen animals in many cases was one that Arthur loathed to acknowledge.

The fact that they hadn't had any close calls with the real things- large or small, was a miracle in itself, Arthur supposed. Why, back in the day the four of them would have surely been attacked by now. Arthur didn't have a single doubt in his mind that would be the case.

Hazel leaned against the rock at Arthur's side, almost silent. Arthur had to suppress the all too powerful urge to roll his eyes at the man's presence there. All of the years that he'd spent working with Hazel had told him that the man would only come to talk to him if he sincerely thought that there was something worthwhile to discuss.

"What do you want, Hazel?" Arthur asked the question in a deadpan as he flipped the page that he was focused on, folding it down halfway to find some of the spots where he'd hidden extra information. "Because I can assure you that unless it's relevant-"

"It burns." Hazel said quietly, his voice coming out like it was the all too familiar growling sound that Arthur had long ago begun to associate with the man. Hazel lifted his hand up and rubbed at his chest. "Tyrian was saying that it was getting worse for him too."

"The-" Arthur picked his head up, almost feeling like he'd just been prompted to discuss something that he'd been trying hard not to think about too much. He was experiencing certain pains, of course, but Arthur had become accustomed to ignoring it long ago. A prickle at the back of his neck dragged him into the conversation all too easily. "How bad is it?"

"You don't feel it?"

Arthur didn't answer. It wasn't worth showing such a weakness to the others, regardless of the situation at hand. "Oh, I do." Arthur answered. "I've just become used enough to it to ignore it."

"I think we're going to be finding it soon. Tonight maybe."

"We don't have any information to suggest that it'll be a night hours only event, Hazel." Arthur said all too calmly. "If we're going to find one of Her spawning sites, then we shouldn't have to worry about time of day."

"It shouldn't matter." Hazel growled. "Our best bet is based on grimm- they're more active at night." The man's eyes narrowed slightly. "You were a huntsman, you should know that."

Arthur rolled his eyes and picked his head up, glaring over at Hazel who was standing there and running a calloused thumb over the back of his knuckles. Checking for an injury, Arthur had no doubts about that. This was Hazel, the man was always the most rough and tumble member of their alliance- even more so than the faunus boy was, and that was saying something. The only difference was that Hazel possessed the ability to be calculating rather than rely on impulse alone.

"It's an old wives tale, Hazel. Never truly proven." Arthur replied, closing his dossier book and tucking it back away in his breast pocket. "And you should know better than to believe in such things."

The four of them were going to have to leave their current location soon enough. Arthur definitely didn't want to be spending all of his time debating myths with Hazel, that was for sure. But of course, there was something wrong, which occurred to Arthur that he couldn't think to bring up.

"Where are the children anyways, Hazel?" Arthur asked, picking his head up and casting a glare in the other man's direction. "You know that it won't do to lose Tyrian."

"I'm surprised that you include the girl."

"She's dreamt of Her, and so I have to assume that it will only be a matter of time before she becomes marked like us." Arthur smirked. "I do hope that wherever Cinder's brand ends up appearing, it's not a complete pain to treat."

Hazel grunted, sounding a little more than thoroughly unconvinced by Arthur's words. Arthur couldn't help the impulsive that nagged at the back of his mind and told him to roll his eyes as a response, but decided quickly enough that it was for the best if he ignored that feeling.

"Wherever it appears-" Hazel finally grumbled, sounding fully frustrated. "It'll be a matter of Her choosing."

Arthur hummed quietly and tilted his head back. He let his eyes slip shut for a moment and stared up at the sky above them, checking the time of day by watching the position of the sun. They'd only have a few hours of daylight left before they were going to have to stop and find a place to rest for the night.

"Did she place your mark so carefully, Hazel?" Arthur asked, finally glancing over at his partner and letting a slow, teasing smile stretch across his face. "Or Tyrian's marks?" Arthur didn't question his own- he knew that there was a reason for it's placement, and that wasn't a reason that he wanted to confront.

"You know She chooses in her own way." Hazel grumbled, raising a hand to rub at his chest through his shirt. Pain, of course. The only good thing that Arthur could see about it was that there was no open wound that he was going to have to contend with. Once it had been open and bleeding, Arthur supposed, but those days had long passed.

"I suppose She does." Arthur responded. He pushed off from the rock and looked to the path where Tyrian and Cinder had decided to scout ahead. "Shall we?"

"It wouldn't hurt." Hazel replied, falling into position behind Arthur as the two of them walked. It wasn't a long trip before the two of them found their targets.

Tyrian and Cinder were there, at a spot where the path had gotten to be too overgrown, almost to the point where it disappeared from view entirely. It was worrying, but Arthur didn't think that he was going to find so much to be concerned about in the long run.

The world was full of roads that were no longer travelled. They'd stumbled on one. It only made sense, when Hinagiku's abandoned state was brought into consideration.

The only reason that the paths out of that village and to the other ones seemed to still be serviceable was because of the usable land in between.

Not that it mattered all that much.

Arthur looked between the two children and sighed heavily before raising a hand to gesture Hazel forward.

The largest member of the group was quick to step up to the front before crouching down in the underbrush. If it wasn't for the fact that Arthur knew exactly what Hazel was doing, he wouldn't have normally questioned it.

But he knew Hazel. He knew the man had a knack for survival that was so strong that one didn't dare be caught in his orbit in an inopportune time. In a way, Hazel was like a cockroach or a phoenix- impossible to kill and you didn't dare get too close for fear of disgust or burns.

Arthur didn't fear Hazel, no.

But when the worst came to worst, he was sure that out of all of them, Hazel would be the only one to survive.

That was just how he was.

"Well?" Arthur asked, egging a response out of Hazel as quickly as he could manage. "Is it poisonous?"

"No." Hazel replied, not bothering to look back at the rest of the group. "Just an old road that nobody uses anymore." He paused for a moment and stood back up a moment later. "Seems like it's been a long time. Probably stopped being used when Hinagiku-"

"Has there been any traffic through here?" Arthur asked with a roll of his eyes. He didn't need Hazel's hearsay, he needed answers.

"If there is any traffic through this area, it's infrequent. Animals at best." Hazel grumbled as he got back up to his feet and brushed his hands off. "Best stay close though."

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

Hazel shrugged. "You never know what's in the bushes."

A snide remark wormed its way forward to the tip of Arthur's tongue, but he didn't let it get out. No worth in destroying their already fragile morale.

If he was going to have his way, the four of them were going to continue down this path until they finally managed to find something worthwhile.

So when he made his decision, it was with a devilish grin and a taunting phrase as he focused on his target.

"Ladies first, Cinder."

The girl stared back at him and her mouth dropped open just slightly.

The hesitation only lasted a moment before Cinder clamped it back shut wordlessly and began along the ruined trail.

* * *

As promised, there was indeed a room that had been set aside at Beacon Academy where Blake could stay. She hadn't been sure how much she was actually able to trust what Qrow had said, but being able to see the room herself firsthand was interesting.

In a way, it was terrifying.

The first thing that Blake realized was that it was a space that had been all too clearly set aside for a group of four people. She hadn't bothered to ask the others about their living situations, if only because she didn't need to know that. If it became relevant, then Blake would deal with the issue when it became impossible to avoid.

Blake went ahead and picked one of the beds for herself. It was pressed up against the wall and as far away from the door to the room as possible. Blake didn't like to think about the reasons that she'd chosen that position in the room, but it was hers.

No matter what, at the very least, Blake had a warm place where she could go to bed at night. The back to the wall would be enough to provide some level of comfort.

No monsters wearing masks here.

Only students, all her age.

Surely some of them would be monsters, but none had given her and reason to be afraid yet. Not directly, at least.

Blake sat there on the bed for a while, having some great difficulty as she tried to figure out how she felt about being there. There was a large part that screamed at her that someone else was going to end up being moved into this room with her eventually. When that happened, Blake feared for what could happen.

But for now, it was hers alone.

And if there was anything that she needed right now, it was the ability to rest for a bit, above all else.

Thousands of possibilities flitted through Blake's mind as she laid there in the bed that she had to call hers for the first time that night. Mostly, Blake thought of a home that she had left long ago under less than good circumstances. Thoughts of it flit through her mind so constantly that she knew that it would be more than enough to force sleep to evade her that night.

A part of her called to her and told her that what she really needed to do was get up, go over to one of the four empty desks in that room, and she needed to sit down there and try to get something productive done. So far she hadn't been given anything to suggest that she had studies to catch up on, though Blake suspected that was going to be coming soon enough. Perhaps she was just being given a chance to settle in before all of that came up.

If there was a library on campus, Blake was sure that she wasn't yet able to check anything out to read just yet.

But there were some things that the room that she was in did provide. Most importantly of those things, there was paper and pens. Envelopes would be easy enough to get in theory.

But when Blake put her pen to paper and tried to think of the words that she wanted to say, nothing came. All that she wanted to do was tell her parents that she missed them, and yet absolutely nothing came to mind that she could actually say to them.

There were apologies, but Blake was sure that they would never accepted. Why would they ever be?

Blake was in the process of laying her pen down in resignation to the fact that she had absolutely nothing that she could think to say when the door to the room that she was slammed open and the first of the two all too energetic girls that she'd been assigned to a mission with was there.

It was the blonde one. Yang, Blake remembered her name was.

"Hello!" Yang announced her presence in a singsong voice, and Blake had to force back the urge to sigh in frustration. She looked back over her shoulder to see that Yang was standing there with a yellow duffel bag slung over her shoulder as she stepped into the room. She was out of the clothes that she'd been wearing earlier on that day.

Of course, Blake told herself as she sat there.

Normal people had civilian dress. Blake didn't have that anymore- all of her things had been left behind when she'd needed to take everything that she had and run away from the White Fang.

Blake didn't respond, just watched as Yang stepped in and made a beeline for the bed that was closest to the one that Blake had chosen. At the moment, the only thing on that bed was Gambol Shroud.

"Hello." Blake responded finally, folding the sheet of paper that she'd been writing a letter on before tucking it away out of view. She turned in her seat, finally facing Yang properly to see that there was someone else about to enter the room.

A man, not that much taller than Yang was but with the same too-vibrant yellow hair stepping in behind her. He was trailed after shortly by Ruby. He stepped out of the way of the door and looked between the two girls.

Blake recalled the meeting with the two sisters earlier that day. Ruby and Yang shared a father, and so Blake had to assume that this was that man.

"Where do you want me to put this?" The man asked, looking between his two daughters. Ruby and Yang exchanged a look and soon enough the two of them were shrugging. Ruby walked towards the bed nearest the one that Yang had chosen for herself and gestured to it.

The man took a few steps forward and placed the box there before looking between Ruby and Yang, his eyes then flitting over to Blake.

In a way, all that it managed to do was make Blake miss her own father a little bit more. He would have come with her to the school and helped her move in with whatever little she brought along with her. He would have even dwarfed the man that Ruby and Yang seemed to call their father.

Hell, he would have even shot the man a glare for interrupting.

The thought almost made Blake smile.

Almost.

"So." The man spoke up finally, grinning and crossing his arms over his chest. "You're one of the teammates?" He was watching Blake and the first thing that came to mind was that he was cocky. Blake didn't think that she trusted him, and she certainly didn't want to find out how far this could go before she started to worry about the situation at hand.

"I am." Blake responded.

"Oh, Dad!" Yang piped up, dropping into place at her father's side and grinning just as cockily. They had the same smile, Blake realized quickly. "This is Blake. We met her earlier today."

"It's nice to meet you." Blake said quietly as she pushed herself up to her feet and stepped away from the desk that she'd chosen to occupy that evening.

"Blake?" The man asked with a blink of his eyes. He looked between his two daughters and sighed heavily before stepping forward and offering Blake a large, welcoming hand in a more proper greeting. "You're the one that slept on Qrow's couch then?"

"I am." Blake responded with a slight shrug. "Why?"

"He's my brother-in-law." The man said with a slight shrug. "Taiyang Xiao Long. Glad to meet you."

He paused, like there was something that he was thinking on, but didn't get a chance to ask whatever question was on his mind. Blake didn't give him the chance.

"It's nice to meet you too." Blake said, knowing that her delivery was a little bit stiff. She looked between her two new teammates to see that Ruby and Yang were beginning to pick the box that they'd brought along with them apart. It looked like the two of them were just doing their best to get their own personal affects sorted out.

However, Ruby was the one to break the awkwardness.

"Oh, Blake!" She said, picking her head up and smiling across at her. "Have you seen Weiss-"

"No." Blake replied quickly in an absolute deadpan.

Ruby frowned and her expression sank as she pulled out a plastic container of something and set it down on the bed. "Oh." She said quietly. "That's fine, I guess. I was just hoping-" Ruby pursed her lips in something akin to frustration before forcing a smile and her cheeriness back onto her face. "We brought cookies."

Blake blinked, a little bit surprised by everything that Ruby had just said but not really wanting to go ahead and question it, if only because things were a little too awkward and strange for Blake's liking. Why would they bring cookies?

"You brought cookies?" Blake asked.

She didn't know when the last time that she'd had something like cookies could have been. There was a part of Blake that told her that she hadn't had such a thing since she had last been on Menagerie, but Blake wasn't confident in that. Her mother had never been much of a baker, and the same could be said for her father.

"Well, yeah." Ruby said quietly. "Everyone likes cookies unless.." Her expression sank. "You're allergic, aren't you?"

Somehow, Ruby always seemed to be able to surprise Blake, but she wouldn't dare tell the girl that. The last thing that she needed to do was to get the other girl so worked out, and so Blake was quick to dismiss Ruby's concerns.

"No, it's just-" Blake paused, looking for the words that she needed, but for the second time that night, found herself a little more than unable to find them. "I just wasn't expecting you to bring cookies is all."

"Oh, well-"

"It's a family recipe." Taiyang spoke up with a slight shrug. "And since your team is supposed to become your family, we figured that it wouldn't be a bad idea to try and get the four of you started off on the right foot."

"Not that it matters if Weiss isn't here." Ruby muttered, sounding frustrated. She earned a quick pat on the head from her father as a response. After that, she seated herself on her bed and began to pick things out of the box that were hers, looking a little more than dejected. "But you're here-" Ruby picked her head up to look up at Blake with those silver eyes of hers. "How long have you been in here anyways?"

"A couple hours." Blake said calmly as she walked over to her bed and picked up Gambol Shroud. She turned the weapon over in her hands before storing it on one of the tables next to her bed. "I didn't feel like exploring the academy too much."

"It's pretty nice." Yang spoke up, now sitting cross-legged on the bed beside Blake's. "The food could be better, but they take good care of us." She smiled softly at Blake. "Oh, uh... do you have stuff for classes yet or-"

"No." Blake responded calmly. "Ozpin hasn't provided me with anything, and neither has anyone else for that matter."

Yang frowned visibly and shrugged, relaxing back into her bed a little bit more. "If you need it, me and Ruby have some notes that we probably wouldn't mind sharing." She paused, looking across at her little sister. "But they might not be the best."

Blake sighed quietly, figuring that it might end up being the best- possibly only lifeline that she ended up being offered in her time there at Beacon Academy. "Thank you," Blake said quietly after a moment. "How long have you two been going here anyways?"

"Couple years." Yang responded. "Probably at Signal started when I was... thirteen or so."

"Same." Ruby replied. "But I was doing too well so they decided that they wanted me to get moved up to Beacon two years early" She looked a little bit more than sheepish, and Blake supposed that wasn't a bad thing.

If this girl was a prodigy of some sort, then surely that meant that the team was going to be at least somewhat capable on a battlefield. At least in theory, Blake thought to herself.

"Right." Blake said finally. She knew that she probably wasn't coming off in the nicest way possible, in that she was sure that all that she had managed was to come off as unimpressed. "So I guess this makes us teammates?"

"Yeah." Yang said, smiling a little too wide and crossing her arms over her chest a little too cockily. "The three of us and princess."

Blake bit her tongue over the rebuttal that threatened to make its way to the surface. It wouldn't do any good for her to alienate her two teammates so quickly.

"That's right!" Ruby exclaimed, ripping the cover off of the box of sweets that she and Yang had brought along before offering it up to Blake. "Teammates!"

Blake sighed quietly and reached in to take one of the cookies.

It was still warm, and it was enough to match the unfamiliar feeling that built so steadily in her chest.


	13. Virtue

"What do you mean she's accepted her place at the academy?"

Jacques Schnee was screeching and absolutely livid.

James Ironwood was the one of the few people in all of Remnant to have the displeasure of being amongst the Schnee patriarch's captive audience and he wasn't happy about it at all. With nowhere to go and no discernible escape route, James listened on as the man leaned over Ozpin's desk in what was an obvious attempt to make himself more intimidated while he more or less threatened Ozpin, who quietly waited for Jacques to finish.

Once Jacques grew quiet, Ozpin decided to speak with nothing less than an incredible show of patience. "What I mean, Mister Schnee, is that your daughter Weiss decided that she will be taking her place at this academy which she earned by her own virtue." Ozpin replied, their eyes blank and expression obviously bored.

James figured that he felt some amusement from their reaction, if only because he knew that it was going to push Jacques further and further along into his indignant rage.

"I come here to tell you that my daughter, who is the heir to one of the most powerful companies in the world has gone missing- my company, and this is what you give me?" Jacques stood up properly and looked over at James, his eyes narrowed and blazing.

James was already preparing himself for whatever was going to end up leaving the man's mouth over this current ordeal.

"Yes." Ozpin replied calmly. "I believe that she made her choice and I intend to stand by it."

"James!" Jacques nearly whipped around on his heel to face James, and James did his best to keep his expression still so that he couldn't find himself in a situation where he was going to have to worry any further about what Jacques would say. Above all else, James needed to be able to hold his composure in this situation.

"Yes, Jacques?" James responded, picking his head up and looking over at the other man with bored blue eyes.

"You must have something to say!" Jacques replied. "This is kidnapping!"

James grimaced. That hadn't been something that he'd thought that he'd be hearing out of Jacques, all things considered. But he needed to do something to go ahead and speak up and try to let the situation rest as easily as he could.

"No," James began with a sound. "Your daughter is eighteen, correct?"

Jacques' brow furrowed further and his glare that he'd leveled on James had only managed to become more intense and furious. "What does that have to do with anything?" Jacques replied. "My daughter is missing and all that you care about is that she's eighteen?"

James glanced over at Ozpin out of the corner of his eye. "Has there been any word of MIss Schnee attending her classes?" James asked, keeping his voice as even as possible while he waited for his companion to say anything that could help to put the situation at rest.

Ozpin nodded. "Professor Goodwitch has informed me that Miss Schnee arrived for classes on time this morning." They said all too calmly as they sat there behind the desk that James had leaned back against. "I can only assume that this means that she spent the night in one of our dorms."

Jacques' mouth dropped open in pure indignance before he finally spoke back up. "You're going to stand for this?" He whipped his head back over in James' direction. "General, this would-"

"Jacques." James cut the man off calmly. "If Miss Schnee is over the age of eighteen there is nothing that we can do to stop her from taking classes here at Beacon, or from staying here unless she is somehow being held under duress."

"I can think of one thing!" Jacques sneered at the two of them. James tried hard not to let himself react to it, despite the fact that there was some part of him that told him that he needed to be able to do something. He needed to step up and find a way to silence Jacques. But it was also for the best to let them man talk and make a fool of himself. "You have the power to see to it that Weiss is expelled from this school or otherwise deny her entry."

Ozpin glanced over at James. "I won't do such a thing." They said calmly. "Miss Schnee has shown herself to have some talent on the battlefield and if she wants to attend Beacon Academy, then I will not stop her."

James nodded to show his support for Ozpin's words. Already, he was expecting a reaction from Jacques that would only be able to be explained in frustration or rage, but he needed to do what he could. Weiss Schnee seemed like a nice enough young girl, if James' first meetings with her had indicated anything to him. James was certain that he would see some punishment for siding Ozpin, and that put him in a difficult position.

That said, he wouldn't bend over backwards because that was what Jacques wanted.

"I agree with Ozpin." James said calmly, bringing the attention over to himself for just a little while. "Miss Schnee is legally old enough to be considered an adult within all of the four kingdoms as well as within Menagerie." He paused, thinking back to the threat outside of the city and grimaced. "In times like these, the academies could use any capable fighters that they can get, and your daughter qualifies under that."

Jacques turned his entire body and stepped in close enough that James couldn't help the reflex to tense as the man got so close to him that the two of them could have touched very easily. It was too uncomfortable, something that James wasn't going to be able to forget about nor ignore.

"This is sounding awfully familiar from you, James." Jacques Schnee. "If your intent is to steal another daughter from me-"

James' jaw tensed and he moved just slightly himself, using the chance to make himself look just a little bit more physically intimidating so that he wouldn't find himself getting in a position where Jacques had the upper hand. This was the sort of argument that the two of them had gone through many times before in the past, and James wasn't going to be able to ignore that. The fact that Jacques was already throwing certain accusations at him was a testament to that.

"I can assure you that I have had no role in your daughter's decision to attend Beacon Academy." James said, keeping his jaw tight. "I spoke to her all of once since you arrived here, which I must stress you were present for, and maybe twice in Atlas, also occasions which you were also present for."

"You know what you're doing, James."

James closed his eyes and sighed heavily, knowing that all of his frustration was beginning to show all too clearly. "I have had nothing to do with this."

"And yet you've already stolen a daughter from me." Jacques nearly shouted the words, but James didn't let himself shift back in discomfort. He didn't let himself spook, because over the course of his life, James had seen so many things that were much more terrifying than Jacques could ever hope to be. "How do I know that you haven't been directing Winter to drive Weiss away from me?"

James rolled his eyes and glanced over at Ozpin, looking for any sort of intervention that they would be able to offer. They grimaced and stood up, walking around the side of the desk and placing themself next to James.

It was a rare show of solidarity that wasn't normally brought up for them to use. James could appreciate it all for what it was.

"Jacques-" Ozpin said, keeping their voice calm and quiet as they always did. "Neither of us have had any part in your daughter's choices."

Jacques sneered and looked between James and Ozpin. "You two won't get away with this."

"We aren't getting away with anything." James growled, balling his hands into fists and fighting back every urge that arose to make him want to lash out at Jacques physically. "You daughter made a choice. If it incenses you so much, then you are best taking it up to her directly."

James made a mental note to speak to Ozpin and do what the two of them could to make sure that Weiss Schnee didn't get caught on her own in a position where any harm could come to her. Even if the girl was able to defend herself against a civilian such as Jacques Schnee, James didn't want to risk anything. He needed to be sure that the girl was safe.

That was what a good person would do, after all.

"This is not the last that the two will be hearing from me, I can assure you." Jacques said. His eyes went half-lidded and he stood up straight now so that he could adjust his damned Schnee-logo tie. "I'll be speaking to you two soon, gentlemen."

With that, Jacques left Ozpin's office in a rage and James glanced over at Ozpin and rose an eyebrow. "We'll keep an eye on the girl?"

"Of course." Ozpin replied, reaching for their scroll so that they could send a message along to some of the staff of the academy. "Thank you, James."

"I could say the same to you." James answered with a slight shrug.

* * *

Beacon Academy was an experience unlike any that Weiss had ever had before in her short life. It was only her first day of classes, so that naturally had an effect of its own, but Weiss didn't let how unsure of herself she was to the others.

Currently, she was sitting in the rows of one of the classes where the teacher at the front of the room was giving a lecture of Dust mixtures and volatility.

For Weiss, it was all simple material that she might have well have been first taught to read with.

However, there was something about hearing about such things from another context that wasn't knowing what the company made that turned it engrossing. She didn't feel like she was learning for the sake of a sales pitch but rather for something much more meaningful

Weiss had found herself sitting on Ruby's right side, while the girl's older sister had decided to take her left. At Yang's other side, there was Blake.

Despite the fact that the four of them had spent the night before in a shared dorm, there was awkwardness that had refused to subside. That was especially true between herself and Blake. In fact, when it came to herself and Blake, the only way that Weiss could describe he relationship was hostile at best.

It was only too clear that neither of them had forgotten about how violent their fight that they'd shared in the days before had been. Weiss' face was still healing, and the scar stood out pale even against Weiss' already light skin.

Blake hadn't apologized for the strike. Weiss had doubts that she ever would. And really, Weiss didn't know whether she cared for an apology or not.

At the front of the room, Professor Peach announced that they were supposed to split into teams for an assignment, and Weiss realized quickly that the most logical thing was going to be that she would find herself working with Ruby, Yang, and Blake.

Maybe it would be a chance for some proper team bonding even, Weiss thought to herself.

Ruby was the first of them to move her seat, and Weiss found herself actually backing into her seat just a little bit because of it. She gripped her pen just a little bit tighter, and when she glanced over, she saw that Yang and Blake were shifting their seats as well.

"First team project!" Ruby said, almost excitedly as she shifted about on her seat. "Soon we're going to be going on a mission-" She squealed in excitement and dropped her hands onto the table beside her notebook, where Weiss was able to see that Ruby had been doodling for some time.

For a moment, she had to worry about whether or not Ruby's academic skills would be lacking.

"It's not a big deal." Blake said calmly, flipping to a new page in her notebook before casting a look across at Weiss. "Especially since I doubt this is going to take all too long."

It was entirely too pointed of a look. Every word that Blake said was barbed, and Weiss knew exactly why. This girl wasn't dumb, and neither were Ruby or Yang.

And it seemed like they were expecting for her to carry this assignment.

"It's an assignment, either way." Weiss spoke up as she looked up towards the screen at the front of the room that was all too clearly showing their assignment. It wasn't anything hugely important, just a worksheet on volatile mixtures. "And we should try to do it."

"Right." Yang said as she took the chance to stretch out in her seat. "So, what are we doing?"

"The assignment is simple." Blake said in her usual deadpan, taking down notes off of the screen quickly and turning her notebook so that everyone else on the team could see. "We're to do hypotheses on how to mix dust without causing explosions."

"Ugh," Yang groaned. "Boring."

"Probably not for long." Weiss said, speaking clearly and sitting up straight. "If Professor Peach is having us do something like this, then we're expected to learn how to do it properly and be able to do it."

Ruby looked between the three others at the table, looking all too concerned. "So this won't take long?"

"Once we're done we're allowed to leave class." Yang pointed out. "You heard professor Peach."

Weiss felt herself tense as she held her pen just a little bit more. In theory, she could apply everything that she'd ever learned for the sake of her father's company and get them out of class early. But if she did that, then she didn't know what she was going to have to worry about from her teammates.

What if she made them think that she only knew about her father's company, and couldn't really hold her own?

"Right." Ruby said excitedly, pulling the assignment close to her and announcing what the first thing that they needed to discuss was. It was simple, what would happen if Ice and Wind dust were combined directly. It bled into a short debate amongst the four of them, but for the most part Weiss decided that it was for the best to stay out of it.

And the good thing was that none of them seemed to hold it against her. Eventually they powered through the worksheet and Ruby practically ran to the front of the room to deliver it before the four of them were getting their things and getting ready to leave.

"So-" Ruby chattered excitedly the second that they were outside of the classroom. "Since we're going to be teammates and we're going on a mission in a few days-" She stopped, whirling around so that she could face the three older members of their team. "We should figure out how to fight together, right?"

"Yeah!" Yang exclaimed, fist pumping in some excitement. "I mean, if we're going to be going out there, we should be able to do something and-" Her violet eyes centered on Blake and Weiss. "No offense, but we don't know what either of you can do."

"We can fight just fine." Weiss said, standing up straight and remembering the weight of Myrtenaster at her side. "We got in here, didn't we?"

"Well, yeah, obviously." Ruby said with a slight grin. "But we can ask Uncle Qrow to let us use one of the combat rooms so that we can see what we can do. They have these cool simulation things..."

"I... don't think that'll be necessary." Blake said with her expression calm. "I think that they're sending us on this mission so that they can see how we work together as a team."

Ruby paused and blinked, her hands dropping down to her side. She looked a little bit dejected, but Weiss spoke up a moment later.

"Practice might not be such a bad idea." She declared clearly, crossing her arms over her chest as she stood there with her teammates. "Even if nothing happens, it wouldn't hurt to have some strategies."

Blake rolled her eyes and began to talk again, taking charge over the situation and stepping up to the front. "Says the girl that lost."

It felt like a slap in the face, but Weiss didn't dare allow for her displeasure to show. She didn't like that she was already being put in a situation where the others were going to be judging her for everything, and oh how Weiss hated that. She raised a hand and gingerly touched the still-healing mark that was still forming around her right eye.

"It wasn't so bad." Weiss said finally, her tone wavering. "I held my own perfectly fine. You just don't fight by the rules-"

"The rules?" Blake stopped dead in her tracks with those words and whirled around now, in the same way that Weiss had. "Out there-" Blake raised a hand to point at the space beyond the walls of the building. It was almost like she was pointing at another world. "There are no rules." Blake dropped her hand down by her side. "Monsters don't play by the rules, and outside of a tournament nobody will care about them at all."

"We were in an arena setting!' Weiss replied as she stepped in close to Blake and stared at her with narrowed eyes. "And yet you still-"

"You're a spoiled heiress that has never had to fight for anything." Blake bit back.

Weiss absolutely hated how angry those words made her feel. She stepped in a little bit closer to Blake until she and the other girl were face to face. It was a little awkward, if only because Weiss was the shortest member of their team by quite a bit. She barely even matched Ruby and she wore heels.

So being there up close to Blake was a fast reminder of the difference between the two of them.

"That" Weiss began, her eyes narrowed and her heart pounding all too hard against her chest as she went ahead and confronted Blake. "Isn't even remotely true."

Blake rolled her eyes and stepped away from Weiss. "Says the heiress to the megacorporation." There was a pause where Weiss was ready to give a response, but it was quickly interrupted by Yang, stepping in between the two of them.

"Okay." Yang said, holding her arms out at both of her sides like she thought that was going to be enough to keep a distance between Weiss and Blake. "I don't know what's going on but you two need to calm down!"

"Calm down?!" Weiss responded, though she wasn't sure why she did in such an impassioned manner. "Tell that to her!"

"I am!" Yang replied before snapping her eyes over to Blake. "You both need to relax. I don't know what's between you two, and I don't think that I really want to know right now."

There was a pause. Weiss and Blake stared across at each other, but neither of them said a word.

Yang took it as permission to keep on going. "Whether you two like it or not, we're a team now, and we should start acting like it."

"Yang is right." Ruby spoke up. "We're supposed to be getting ready for a mission, but if you guys are going to fight, we're not going to do any good." She let out a quiet breath. "So can we please all agree to go to the training rooms and start figuring things out?"

Weiss sighed quietly, because at the very least she knew that Ruby and Yang were both right. For her and Blake to argue all the time wasn't helping anyone.

Besides, Weiss thought to herself as she turned and let her hand fall down to Myrtenaster's hilt as she seeked comfort from the weapon. She had other things going on that she needed to deal with.

The sight of her father at the end of the hallway told her everything that she needed to know, based on the way that he was staring at her.

Weiss stopped dead in her tracks and picked her head up, knowing that it was going to be a show of defiance that her father wouldn't let go easily.

Her three teammates stood at her back, and when her father passed down the order for her to come with him, Weiss didn't budge.

She had a feeling that her teammates had been able to figure out that there was something wrong, based on the way that Yang stepped up to her side to ask if there was something wrong.

Jacques sneered down at her without ever saying a word, and he bid her away with the simple raise of his hand. Weiss was sure that he would find a way to get her alone later.

It was typical that he wouldn't fight her when he didn't know that the room was going to be on his side through whatever happened.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked as Weiss began to lead the way back to their dorm, walking a little too quickly. "What's-"

"I don't want to talk about it." Weiss responded as she sped up a little bit more. Blake and Yang had also picked up on the fact that there was something wrong, and so they too were speeding up and doing everything that they could to match pace with Weiss.

In the end, Weiss didn't explain anything to her teammates about what was wrong.

It wasn't that she didn't think that they deserved to know it, Weiss was just afraid to know what would happen if they learned.

* * *

Again, Cinder found herself in a clearing. She was surrounded by crystals of dust that shined a bright violet color. Before her stood a black pool of a liquid that was like blood, and this time, it was different.

This time, when Cinder stared at it, the pool had some meaning to it. She knew a little bit more.

But still, the waters beckoned her close, and so Cinder let herself listen to that pull in the back of her mind as she walked forward. The waters didn't seem to disrupt themselves in the way that they had the last time that Cinder had visited a pool like this in her dreams. Or visions.

Whatever they were.

Cinder was only at the edge of the pool when something began to happen or change. The waters disturbed, and they began to take form, but this time when they did so, the mirror of herself stood at the other side of the pool.

The twisted, monstrous Cinder reached out for her and opened a completely white hand to beckon Cinder forward.

When Cinder took the first step into the pool, it was cool to the touch. The dark waters ripped around her ankles, and for the first time Cinder realized that she was going in completely barefoot.

She didn't know when she'd lost her shoes.

She took a second step into the waters, drawing a little bit closer to the woman that didn't dare move.

Cinder waded further and further in, step by nervous step until she was so close to the woman that she could have reached out and touched the clone of herself. The false Cinder Fall raised her arms, almost as though she was offering a hug.

Cinder didn't accept it.

"Who are you?"

"What you could be," The woman replied, reaching out and bringing a hand up to brush Cinder's bangs away from her left eye which had been left covered. "You want this, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" Cinder asked, trying hard to keep her confusion from showing too much. "I'm-"

"What do you want?" The woman asked. "Anything could be yours but I need to know-" Her hand drew closer. "What do you want?"

Cinder opened her mouth, but she didn't know what she said.

"If you'll obey me-" The woman hissed in a way that almost managed to be comforting. She placed her hand against the left side of Cinder's face, once again brushing her hair out of her face with a careful thumb. "It shall be yours."

Burning.

Fire.

When Cinder woke, it was something that overtook her entire body, and she couldn't bite back the scream that forced its way forward out of her lips as an immediate response to the pain. She clamped one hand over her left eye, where the worst of the pain was. The first thing that Cinder realized through the pain was that she could feel something wet, and hot against her skin.

Blood.

Cinder choked back her pain, and shifted in an attempted to push herself up to her feet. She needed to do something or anything to help herself relax. Nothing was enough to make her get through that pain.

The fact that the others were all staring at her barely even registered to Cinder. All three of them were there, all getting close to her and looking down to her. They were talking, but Cinder wasn't quite able to make out what they were talking about. In the end, the first one to reach out to her was Hazel.

"Cinder." He said her voice too quietly, and she could vaguely make out the feeling of him getting in close enough to her that she could ask some questions. When she didn't look up at him, Hazel repeated her name. "Cinder."

She whimpered and did her best to curl herself away from Hazel, and he didn't seem to judge her for it. There was the sound of Watts' voice coming up next, saying something about medicine and a wound.

"I-"

"It's okay." Hazel said quietly. "Can you show us?"

What sort of question was that? Cinder almost found herself getting angry over how it was, and then she allowed for herself to turn in Hazel's direction, at least a little bit. Slowly, she allowed herself to pull her hand away from the injury, and then the reality of what had happened struck her so quickly that she lost the ability to breathe.

When she'd had her hand clamped over her eye, she hadn't been able to see, but that had had so much more to do with the fact that her eyes had been closed and that she'd had her eyes covered.

But now, Cinder realized that she was in such deep pain that she could barely peel her eyes open.

And when she did, she saw nothing out of her left eye.

Hazel hissed quietly, and Cinder had to guess that it was out of sympathy rather than him going through any sort of pain himself. He reached out and brushed her hair away from her face.

It smelled as though it had been singed. Like she'd just walked through fire.

Everything smelled like it had been burned, at least on some level. Cinder really didn't like how worried that made her feel about everything that she'd been through so far. That couldn't be good but-

When she thought back on it, she was sure that they hadn't even started a fire the night before. How had she been burned.

"Watts." Hazel commanded the other man over, and sure Watts was there, stepping in and kneeling down in front of Cinder. He was much less kind about what he was doing than Hazel was. With Watts, there was no hesitation before he reached out and grabbed at her face.

His touch hurt, and he pulled her head and turned it so that she had no choice but to look over at him. It was cruel, and almost angry.

He hummed quietly and looked over at Hazel. Cinder only caught about half of the motion. "Get my kit."

Hazel got up and left her, and soon Cinder realized that Arthur Watts was actually talking to her, but it felt much more like an interrogation than it did anything else.

"Girl." He said the word so commandingly that Cinder looked up at him and focused in on his expression. "What did you see?"

Cinder tried to open her mouth to answer, but no words came out. Arthur rolled his eyes and hummed as Hazel slipped into the position at her side to offer the man's medical kit. Arthur ignored it for the most part before reaching out on Cinder's left side and grabbing hold of her face so that he could finally get a good look into her eyes and see what the damage is.

"Not good." He murmured to himself before glancing over at Hazel. "She's been branded." He said calmly, and Cinder couldn't help but hate the feeling that swelled in her stomach and told her that this was the part where things were going to start falling apart and going poorly. "Looks like it's gone."

"Gone?" Hazel repeated as Arthur took the first item out of his medical kit and began to do whatever he could to patch Cinder up. Arthur hummed in affirmation, and Hazel went all but silent not too long after that. "How will that-"

"It'll slow us down, for sure." Arthur replied as he began to treat Cinder's wounds. After trying to pull away a few times too many, Arthur's grip got to be a little bit more cruel before he spoke up. "If you are going to keep trying to get away from me, I will see to it that you cannot do so, are we at an understanding?"

Cinder swallowed hard and did all that she could and hold herself still so that nobody could do anything to hurt her as things got worse. She said nothing to him, and gripped onto her dress tightly because that was the only thing that she could do to ground herself in that situation. Slowly, Cinder's eye was bandaged over.

The entire time, she could barely bring herself to speak.

When the others didn't do anything to push her away, Cinder was glad for it.

The fact that they were taking the time to rest so that she could be treated was a relief in itself.

But that didn't make Cinder feel like she was safe with the three men that she'd begun to call her companions. How was she supposed to ignore this.

When Arthur gave her something that he claimed would be enough to kill the pain, Cinder was still too afraid to do anything to lie down and go to sleep.


	14. Scar Tissue

The four of them decided to stay put for three days before they made any decision to move again.

When the decision to leave was made, it had to do with the fact that they were running severely low on resources and needed to get to a town before they could do anything. Hazel and Tyrian had managed to hunt things for them to eat, but that was something that could only last for so long. And even then, staying out in the sticks couldn't last them forever in general. Not with things the way that they were.

Despite the supply of food and the resembled stability of the situation, Cinder was finding it extraordinarily hard to calm down, all things considered. Sleep had been elusive, and eating had been even more so. Even days later, she was in too much pain to be able to keep going or do much of anything else. It was a sort of weakness that she wasn't able to get past, and so when they started moving back towards society and mankind, for Cinder it felt more like an exhausted stagger forward.

There was very little that made her feel like she was actually managing to get anywhere or do anything correctly. It almost felt like she was just floating.

The others had been talking to her a lot over the course of the last few days. It had been almost constant, it had been a constant explanation of everything that could have had anything to do with her newly earned injuries. She was glad that the others were doing her best to help her out, but it was incredibly difficult to get past what had happened to her.

The fact that most of the talk was done completely as theory didn't help her much, though. If anything, it left her feeling more scared and alone.

Cinder hadn't gotten a chance to see herself in a mirror or anything similar since she'd woken with her skin on fire. Considering the pain and some of the whisperings that she had heard, Cinder couldn't help but be afraid for what was going to come ahead. A few times, she had caught the others staring at her to see how she looked. None of them had said so much as a direct word to her about her condition.

Mostly, she'd seen the staring coming from Tyrian, but the man had been surprisingly quiet around her lately. Of all of the people involved in their group, Tyrian had always been the most quiet of them- although Cinder couldn't help but think that had more to do with his status as the collective kicked dog. At least, that was true until the two of them were alone for whatever reason. He would allow himself to edge in with her and tell her things.

So often, it was adoration towards the Goddess that he claimed had reached out for them, for _her_.

Cinder hadn't been able to bring herself to respond. If they had been contacted or touched on by some sort of Goddess, then why would that goddess choose to appear in her form?

It was the lone thought that had been bouncing around in Cinder's mind the entire time that she travelled with the others. The fact that they were going to a town was good, but Cinder was afraid. What happened when they found themselves in a situation where people did nothing but stare at her?

The good of it all was that Watts was surprisingly good at getting people to understand their predicament and getting them to work with him regardless of the situation. He managed to get them a room without the others even coming in, and when the others went in so that they could go up to the room that they'd gained to stay in, they weren't stuck there in public for too long.

Almost immediately, Cinder was being dragged off to the bathroom by Watts and seated so that he could get a better look at her eye in a relatively clean environment. Hazel and Tyrian didn't say anything on it. The only thing that told them that there was any sort of changes was Hazel's announcement that he and Tyrian were going off to do something.

Cinder didn't pay it the most attention.

"So." Arthur's voice was the first thing to snap her attention away from everything else and onto him instead. "How are you feeling?"

Cinder opened her mouth to answer, but she didn't get a chance to say anything about her pain level before Arthur was cutting her off. Cinder wished that she was more frustrated by it than she was in that moment. Right then, she was mostly just concerned with avoiding the mirror to find out what was going on with her face.

"It's awful, I imagine." Arthur said quietly. "I know when I got my brand-" Cinder finally got a glimpse of the mirror, and she was able to see the scar that had formed on the back of Arthur's neck. "The injury was nowhere near as severe as this." He hesitated for a moment as he ran some water over a washcloth. "You know that you will have to tell us about what you went through eventually."

"I know." Cinder croaked. Her voice was so hoarse from disuse that it barely managed to come out as anything more than a whisper. She grimaced, unable to do anything but worry that it was yet another injury that she'd managed to win in her dream.

Or nightmare.

The way that Hazel, Arthur, and Tyrian talked about it, Cinder supposed that the most relevant way to explain what she'd gone through was _'vision_.'

Arthur nodded along. "How bad is the pain?"

Cinder swallowed and thought hard to try and find a way to explain just how bad it was, but nothing came to mind that fit correctly that she could use to explain herself to Arthur. How could anything match up to what she was feeling?

Cinder stared down at her hands, searching for the words that she needed to be able to say to Watts at some point and feeling frustration bubble up in her chest at the realization that what she needed wasn't going to come easily. Nothing could ever match up to what she wanted to say. Nothing could describe it, and even if Arthur had experienced a branding at some point, Cinder knew that it wouldn't be a proper comparison.

He'd said it himself- the damage that he'd suffered was nothing like what Cinder had gone through or received.

"Unbearable." Cinder forced the word out, because it was the only thing that came to mind that she could give to the man that was doing the best to treat her injury. "It's-"

"I expected as much." Arthur replied with a frown creasing his face as he wet a small square of gauze and moved in just a little bit closer to Cinder. "Hold your hair away from the wound, if you would."

Cinder frowned, mostly because she knew that she should have been expected to be put into a situation whre she wasn't going to be able to get a word in edgewise regardless of what was going on and what needed to be done. No matter what, Cinder had learned that being around Watts would always come with a bitter edge. She'd had the time to watch him ever since she'd first united with the group.

He was very much the type that was sure that he knew what was best for the people around him, and didn't care if someone else might know better about him otherwise. No matter how much Cinder knew about herself and how much she thought that she could change his mind on how he approached issues, Doctor Arthur Watts would never allow it.

At the end of the day, in his mind, he seemed to be a professional.

And his skillsets seemed to be enough to back that up on some level. Arthur displayed abilities that told her that he had been trained in medicine in some manner. Cinder wasn't sure if she'd go as far as to call him a doctor, but at the very least he was a more than competent field medic.

For that reason alone, Cinder allowed herself to raise a hand and carefully hold her hair away from her face. The eye was bandaged over, and that did absolutely nothing to be able to stop the pain, but at the very least it was being kept relatively clean and the bandages kept her hair from irritating the wound further.

Cinder was sure that at some point she was going to have to find a more permanent solution for that little issue.

Arthur leaned in and Cinder kept herself as still as possible as the memories of the night that he'd gotten the injury arose in her mind. Back then, Arthur had threatened her about what would happen if she didn't manage to stay still.

He'd never had to follow up on that particular threat, but Cinder had absolutely no interest in finding out what it was all about or where it would end up going if she flinched away too much.

"This will take some time to heal properly, it seems." Arthur said, and he sounded deeply irritated by it. "Ideally we would be able to just cauterize the wound but-" He paused and pulled back away from Cinder. From her one good eye, she was able to see the color of her own blood staining the gauze that he'd been using. Cinder's stomach turned, and she couldn't help but wonder whether he'd managed to clean up some dried blood, or whether it was fresh.

Based on the fact that Arthur was talking about the possibility of going ahead to cauterize the wound, Cinder was more than willing to bet that it was fresh.

Was this wound not able to heal?

"But what?" Cinder asked, keeping her voice down and knowing that Watts probably had to strain himself to be able to hear her.

"The placement is difficult." Arthur said absentmindedly. "It seems that She knew what she was doing when she selected it, though. He stared at her face, and Cinder wanted to run or do something to get the man to go away, but he said nothing else. If anything, Cinder was willing to bet that he was doing whatever he could to examine her eye and see how severe the damage was.

If there was something else that he was looking for there, Cinder didn't know what it was.

"The eye is gone, right?" Cinder asked, feeling like she still needed that confirmation despite the fact that the others had been telling her that was the case for several days now. The strong possibility that she might make herself sound like a fool because of it was a complete footnote in the back of Cinder's mind.

"It is, I'm afraid." Arthur replied. "And if there's anything left of it, I'm sure that there's absolutely nothing of use there." He hummed in frustration. "I wouldn't be surprised to find that the optic nerve is intact, but without an eye there it doesn't matter so much..."

His voice trailed off, and he got a faraway look like there was something on his mind that he didn't want to speak to. Cinder watched the man's expression, and the way that his brow furrowed in deep annoyance before he decided to double back down on his work. "Theoretically if you were in Atlas and chose to enlist with their military a bionic eye could be attained but-" He frowned. "Well, you don't look the military type, do you?"

For a moment, Cinder wondered about that. Why would Watts be concerned with the military? Why would he even think that there was some sort of option to be found there. Why would he look at it as though there was some sort of solution to be found there?

Cinder made the decision not to answer, and if Arthur cared he certainly didn't do anything to show it as he decided to keep on talking about whatever was on his mind as he treated her wounds, reaching for a gel of some sort.

"You know-" Arthur began. "The reason that the pain is so intense aside from the location is that wounds gained in this nature tend to ignore natural healing by aura." He paused.

Cinder couldn't help but to wonder about what Arthur had said. Over the course of her life, she had never heard of any sort of injury that was able to ignore the aura without it taking advantage of some sort of rare, very banned, very secretive technology.

Simply put, what he was suggesting was all but impossible.

"How?" Cinder hissed the word out as loudly as she could manage, and Arthur picked his head up so that he could stare at her, for just a little bit. Cinder knew that he had to be thinking of the best way to explain things, but she also couldn't help but wonder what else the doctor was thinking of.

Cinder wouldn't have been surprised for a second to be met by teasing from the older man, based on how he'd acted around her in the past.

But he didn't make her wait together. When he began speaking it was only following a quiet sigh. "You couldn't have possibly chosen an easier topic?" He asked the question with all of his usual harshness, and CInder couldn't be surprised by it. If anything, it was perfectly in line with how the doctor tended to act with the other two in their little group.

Cinder didn't answer. As much as she wished that she was able to, it was too difficult with her throat aching and pain worming its way through her entire body and getting more and more intense with every moment that she sat there with Watts.

The man's scowl became more severe, but soon enough he began the explanation.

"You must understand-" he started, not hesitating for too long. "There is a great deal that we don't yet understand about Her… nature."

"What do you mean?" Cinder prodded as gently as she could manage. "You three keep talking about a her but..."

"I wish I could answer that as easily as you ask." Arthur replied. "Her name is Salem." He began, his voice kept low. "She's... not like most people or things. Otherworldly, in the simplest sense."

Cinder thought back to the dreams that she'd had where the woman had appeared and all too quickly decided that 'otherworldly' definitely fit the bill for what she had seen. She found herself balling her hands into fists, but didn't let it show too much, mostly out of her own fear.

Arthur leaned in towards her again to dab at the injury on her eye. "Stay still, would you?" He asked as he began to bandage the injury over. "I can't do anything to help you if you keep on moving."

Cinder wanted to retort, but she couldn't bring herself to. It was pushing the man a little too much and he'd already demonstrated to her multiple times that Arthur Watts only seemed to really care about one person.

Himself.

So Cinder did everything in her power to sit there, shock-still and not even allow herself to shift when she breathed.

"Very good." Arthur muttered as he found a roll of medical tape. "What you need to know about Salem is that She is powerful, girl." He began again with his explanation. "And you've been having the same dreams as the rest of us so we have to assume that we're heading in the right direction."

Cinder didn't let herself nod, despite every urge in her body that told her that was what she was supposed to do in a situation such as this one. "Why is She.."

"We don't know." Arthur replied, but for a moment his face seemed to screw up in even further frustration as he began to attach the makeshift eyepatch bandage for Cinder's face. "And if there is anyone among us that does know, he's been hiding it from us."

"Tyrian?"

"No," Arthur said, finally pulling away from Cinder and giving her the space to breathe. "Can't hold a secret and he's..." He paused, and looked over at Cinder before raising an eyebrow. "How old are you anyways?"

Cinder paused, and for the first time she realized that she had never really told this particular man all that much about herself. Sure, when she'd first encountered Hazel she'd answer all of his questions, but now it was different.

"Twenty one." Cinder replied finally, and it was enough to answer his question.

"Hm." Arthur said as he stood up and stretched his legs. He took the first step towards the door and reached for the knob so that the two of them could leave for the more comfortable space of their room. "I suppose that makes sense. But as I suspected, you are much too young to know."

"Young?" Cinder paused, stepping up and ignoring the aches through her body as she moved a little closer to the door. For the first time she got a look of herself in the mirror, and she absolutely hated what she saw there.

Her stomach did flips and falls, but she didn't let herself focus on it for too long.

Cinder tore her eyes away and stepped out of the bathroom, following close after Watts. The man walked across the hotel room with his kit and laid it down on one of the beds that was nearest to the window. He looked back at her over his shoulder. "Yes," He confirmed to himself. "Too young."

Cinder looked at the four beds and decided to take one of the ones towards the middle of the room. It was two beds away from Arthur's and she seated herself there before setting her hands on her legs. "What does that have to-" Cinder tried to speak up, but she quickly realized that her voice was too quiet for Arthur to hear.

But he was smart if nothing else. He picked his head up and looked to her before letting out a heavy sigh of frustration before beginning an explanation. "Back when we were younger men, Hazel and I brushed shoulders with Her for a moment or two. You would have been a child back then."

That was surprising, but Cinder didn't know how to read into it so much. How could they have met Salem in person if she was, as Arthur had said, otherworldly?

Arthur seated himself on his bed and reached into his jacket, finding the breast pocket where he quickly found his quarry. "It was a surreal experience. We've been..." He paused, and looked towards the door, almost like he was expecting for Hazel to come in at any moment to speak to the two of them. "Trying to find Her again for some time."

Cinder was about to open her mouth to ask a question, but the door opening snapped her out of her question as the others stepped into the room. Hazel was carrying a parcel of something, but she could smell the scent of spiced meat wafting off of him.

Perhaps Arthur's explanation would have to wait, Cinder thought to herself as she watched Hazel set the package down and unwrap it to begin portioning out whatever he'd managed to acquire for all of them to eat that night.

* * *

First thing in the morning, the currently unnamed team was out and they were ready to head out on their first proper mission together. While Ruby seemed to be bouncing off the walls with excitement for what was to come, Yang was staying back a little bit since it was the best that she could do to give the other two members of their team some space.

She hadn't failed to notice a lot of things over the last few days. Blake seemed to keep a lot of secrets. Weiss seemed to be doing everything that she could to be able to avoid something, but she'd never said what it was. Yang knew that it had something to do with that man in the hallway.

But Weiss kept herself quiet and refused to elaborate, and so that left the rest of them with only so much to go on. Yang was hopeful that getting away from Beacon and getting out on a mission might be enough to help the four of them to start bonding.

The four of them were waiting by the gates of the city, since they were supposed to be meeting a more seasoned huntsman to go with them. Yang had gotten frustrated over that little detail the night before.

Her and Ruby's dad claimed that he knew who they were supposed to be going with, but he hadn't even began to consider telling them about it. Because of that, Yang was more than a little bit annoyed.

Ruby seemed excited by the knowledge that it was a surprise though.

And that was what she'd been chattering on about for several minutes as she paced by the gate. "What if we end up with Uncle Qrow!" Ruby called, bouncing slightly and looking up at the sky. "Oh, or what if we end up with Ozpin themself, or the general, or-"

"Ruby." Weiss spoke up, and Yang couldn't help but think that the white haired girl didn't look like she was ready for a big mission at all. She was still dressed in her fine clothes that didn't belong on a big mission. They didn't belong outside of a high-society manor, really.

As for Blake, she looked ready, but she was pacing and looking all too nervous herself. Yang didn't know why, since Blake was absolutely allergic to telling them anything about herself.

Yang was sure that whatever was going on in Blake's head was probably important, but she didn't know how this was going to work. If Blake was off in her own world, then it was entirely possible that they might stumble into trouble. But that was just going to be a part of the job, it seemed.

Ruby had quieted down easy enough, and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Right." Ruby said quietly before picking her head up to look up at Yang. "I can't believe that Dad and Uncle Qrow won't tell us who we're going with."

Yang wasn't able to hide the smile that began to bloom onto her face as a response to Ruby's words. "Well," She began. "I'm sure that whoever it is, they'll be happy to stay with us and I dunno..." Yang blinked and looked down at the ground, digging the toe of her boot down into the gravel. "Maybe they'll stay back."

"Either way," Weiss spoke up now, shifting uncomfortably herself from toe to toe. She was gripping her sword all too tightly. Yang didn't like that either. It seemed like she Ruby were the only ones that weren't nervous about the job that was coming ahead of them. "We're going to go out for this mission and return successful."

"Successful?" Blake spoke up now, and her voice sounded as incredulous and annoyed as ever. "You all realize that this is just a recon mission, right?"

"Uh, yeah." Ruby piped up, stepping forward so that the four of them were standing in a circle of sorts. "But it's still our first mission together. If we just have to go and walk around and see if there's something wrong, then we can do that-"

Blake blinked and picked her head up, looking off in the distance like she could see something there coming already. Yang couldn't help the weird feeling that settled in the pit of her stomach which told her that there was something wrong. Something that Blake still wasn't going to tell them.

And because of that, Yang couldn't help but worry about whether or not they were going to be able to get along as a team.

"Hello girls!" A voice called, and Yang was able to recognize it in a heartbeat. She'd heard this man a thousand times, always in her father's kitchen or standing at the front of the classroom for a lecture. Yang was the first to turn to face their mentor properly.

Standing there, looking like he was wearing his normal clothes aside from the addition of a worn overcoat and a hat, was Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck.

Well, Yang thought to herself, that at least explained how her dad and uncle knew about who they would be going with. She did wish that she was heading out with someone that was a little bit cooler than Oobleck.

"Professor Oobleck?" Ruby exclaimed, turning and almost jumping in place at the sound of their professor's voice. "You're the one coming with us?"

"I am." The man took a step forward and looked between the four of them. Yang normally would have felt some sort of discomfort over the scrutiny, but this time, none of that came. She decided to just stand back, cross her arms over his chest, and waited. "And I suppose that you are the two new students. Very well, it's nice to meet you Miss Schnee, Miss Belladonna."

Out of the corner of her eye, Yang saw Blake's amber colored eyes widening at her own name. It was like hearing her own name was somehow foreign to Blake, and Yang didn't know that she really wanted to read into what that all meant. At her side, Weiss also seemed to shift uncomfortably, but Yang couldn't even imagine why. Weiss was a Schnee, and she hadn't been afraid to wave that fact around quite yet.

But whatever feelings Weiss was feeling were pushed down quickly enough. She shifted and lowered herself down into a curtsey and bowed her head. It was something that Yang never would have imagined doing, but she didn't know how to read into it yet. She and Ruby were just from a different world from Weiss, and it was entirely likely that Blake wasn't even from their universe.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor Oobleck." Weiss said, her eyes sliding shut almost gracefully in greeting.

"It's Doctor Oobleck, miss Schnee." The man corrected just as Weiss was beginning to stand up straight now. "I didn't spend all that time getting a PhD for nothing."

Weiss blinked, her cold blue eyes going wide for a moment as she stood up properly. The girl laced her fingers together in front of her and she nodded. "I understand." Weiss said. "My apologies."

"No, there's no need for apologies." Oobleck said, his voice all too calm and him almost speaking even slower than he normally would have. There had to be a reason for it, but Yang couldn't think of one. This wasn't how the professor would normally go about things. "I suppose that you've all been spending time preparing yourselves for your mission?"

"Sure thing, Doc." Yang spoke up, deciding that the least that she could do was draw any attention away from her teammates.

"Yeah!" Ruby exclaimed, almost bouncing where she stood. "I didn't know that we were going to be with you-"

"I know." Oobleck answered, smiling slightly as he turned to face the road and take a good look out at what was there on the horizon. Yang turned slightly so that she could see what else was out there, but couldn't see anything. "Now, I'm sure that you've all been made aware of the mission objectives for this assignment?"

"We have." Blake spoke now, keeping herself calm, but even through that thin veneer she was reaching back over her shoulder to reach for her sword. Why would Blake already be feeling the need to fight when they hadn't even left Vale yet? Yang couldn't think of one, but she didn't let herself get too worked up over it. "How long should it take?"

Doctor Oobleck stopped in his place and turned to face Blake, something unreadable on his face. The glare of the light against his glasses only served to make his expression even harder to understand. Yang couldn't help but feel somewhat frustrated by all of it.

"Is there a reason for your haste, Miss Belladonna?"

Blake's eyes seemed to widen in something that was all too akin to anger, and Yang couldn't help but to give Ruby an uneasy look. Her little sister seemed to have picked up on the fact that there was something wrong, and Yang wasn't sure how to read into all of it.

Yang just couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong that Blake wasn't going to tell them. While it was possible that Blake was just feeling anxious about the mission ahead of them, Yang wasn't so sure. There was an electricity that she couldn't just ignore.

"No." Blake finally answered, her amber colored eyes darting down to the ground and her expression furrowing and growing more and more stressed with the word. She gripped her sword a little bit tighter, and finally, Blake gave an answer of her own for Doctor Oobleck's question. "I just want to start."

Doctor Oobleck seemed to take a little too long to come up with something that he was supposed to say to Blake. It was like he was thinking hard for some reason. Yang tried not to think about it too much, but finally the doctor was speaking up, and he somehow managed to sound as excitable as he always did.

"I see." He said, turning on his heel again and beginning to lead the way out towards the road. "Very well then." Doctor Oobleck was just under the gate when he stopped dead in his tracks and turned around to face the four of them before he paused. "I suppose that I should let the four of you lead rather than take the point, shouldn't I?"

"We've got it, Doc." Yang answered, walking a little faster so that she could make her way up to the front of the group. Ruby was quick to join her at her side, and Weiss and Blake fell in beside them soon enough.

And almost carelessly, the four of them were able to begin the trek out beyond the city gates for the first time as a group of teammates. 


	15. Whispers of Divinity

Staying in one place for too long always managed to make Tyrian antsy, even going back to the days when he'd been a young boy carried across his mother's back through burning desert sands. Years of hardship and travel had only managed to make that nervousness grow stronger.

The day before had been too difficult, as was also the case for the days before that one.

It was enough to make Tyrian question what was going to happen next. He'd tried many times over to categorize his thoughts in a way that made some sort of sense, but it was hard. No matter how hard he tried, Tyrian couldn't help the feeling that his mind had somehow gotten scattered along the roads. Concentration was too hard won, too exhausting to maintain.

That night, he'd awoken with a jolt to the sound of tortured _screaming_ echoing in the confines of his head that he hadn't been able to ignore or forget about. Memory. Dream. Nightmare. Vision. Tyrian didn't know what it was, just that it gripped him and he was so, so _afraid._

There was a cold sweat the clung to his entire body, and Tyrian knew that his long hair had fallen out of its braid much earlier in that night.

Over on the other beds, all of his teammates were still asleep. Hazel, snoring quietly. Cinder, resting on her right side. The good Doctor Watts, lying on his back and with earplugs in so that he couldn't be disturbed.

He was alone.

Tyrian felt his stomach flip and forced himself up out of bed. All that he could think to do was get up and go out into the world and try to make himself relax that way. No matter how hard he tried, he was sure that he wasn't going to be able to shake the urge that told him to do perimeter checks, or to set traps, or to sit up and stand guard.

Even in society, it wasn't something that was so easily achieved. Tyrian hated himself for it, but that screaming was there in the back of his head for a reason. In all his life, he had never been able to escape such a torture.

He climbed out of his bed and stepped down onto the wooden floor as carefully as he could manage. A quick glance over his shoulder didn't give Tyrian much of anything to go on to tell him that his teammates were still asleep.

The man froze where he was standing, for a little bit longer than he probably should have. He let his eyes slip shut for a moment and just _focused_ on their sounds. None of them sounded like they'd managed to wake up, and so that made Tyrian feel a little better as he slipped out of the room that the four of them were inhabiting.

He was as careful as he could possibly be to make sure that the sound of the door closing behind him wouldn't be able to wake the others. When it was closed and he was free for the time being, that was when Tyrian was able to relax.

The man wrapped his tail tight around himself as he made his way down out of the hotel until he was outside and in the night air. It was cold against his skin, and Tyrian wasn't able to help the almost delightful shiver that ran up his spine at the sensation. Off in the distance, he was able to hear the sounds of creatures out in the woods.

Subtle rustlings, footsteps maybe. The world looked like it was painted in greyscale around him, the light of the moon being the only thing that was able to light the land. For Tyrian, it was much more comfortable than sunlight would ever be.

He took the first few steps forward into the middle of the road that clearly went untravelled by anything other than foot. He figured that it was possible that people used wagons on it, but that was unlikely. That said, they were much more likely than cars ever would be out in the wilderness like he was. Without Dust at every stop, such technology was useless.

Over the course of his life, Tyrian could only remember a small handful of times when he'd seen a car over the course of his life. They were always in the cities, and almost always belonged to the wealthy. In a way, being able to see them was a sign that he'd gotten lucky once or twice.

Tyrian suspected that if Watts had been able to be in one place for a long time, then he would have bought a car of his own. He didn't know why he wanted to think about that sort of thing, but he was just able to imagine it. He was sure that the good Arthur Watts would love his car much more than he could ever love another person.

Yeah, Tyrian thought to himself as he walked down the roads and picked his head up to see whether or not any light other than the moon was peeking through. All that he needed was the glint of yellow against black. That was all that he would ever need to tell him how the world was.

As he walked, Tyrian couldn't figure out what it was that was bringing him in the direction that he was going. It felt almost like there was something tugging him along, but Tyrian couldn't imagine what could be doing that. Maybe it was just instinct.

More likely, it was that he couldn't bear to be in a city for so long. Not after spending so much time on the roads.

Why did he have to be woken by screaming rather than be spared by the mercy of his Goddess?

There was something that Tyrian could only describe as deeply uncomfortable that told him that he was wrong to be dwelling on such things. It was like a nagging sense in the back of his mind that told him that whatever he went through in the Goddess' name was what he deserved. It felt like an itch, so intense that he was never going to be able to get the feeling to go away.

In the end, he grimaced and let his feet carry him for as far as he needed to be carried until he felt calm enough that he could go back to the inn and hopefully get some rest. Whether or not that was going to be able to happen in a timely manner wasn't something that Tyrian was ready to speculate on.

But he walked, because that was all that Tyrian could think to do when he was already feeling so exhausted and antsy.

The man passed by closed storefronts and small homes, with only the occasional glow of lights through a window polluted the landscape that he was travelling through. Tyrian didn't pay much attention to it, just kept his eyes on the road ahead of him and walked.

At the very worst, he was expecting that he was going to be out for an hour or so before he finally made his way back to bed. If he was lucky, Tyrian was sure that all of the others were going to be asleep. If one of them were awake, then he didn't know what he was going to have to deal with. Arthur would mock him. Hazel would grunt his displeasure.

The girl...

Tyrian didn't know about the girl. He couldn't say anything for how that would go if she ended up being the one that he woke upon his arrival back at the room.

At some point, he managed to lose track of where he was supposed to going and where he was. It felt like he blinked, and when he reopened his eyes he was a good distance outside of the village. He was alone, and he couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine as he wrapped his arms around himself. He should have taken his coat when he'd left the inn, Tyrian couldn't help but think to himself.

What was he doing here?

Tyrian picked his head up and looked around the treetops all too warily as he tried to figure out whether or not he was even safe there. What if there was something out in the forest that was waiting to go after anything that was foolish enough to make its way out into the wilderness.

Distantly, Tyrian heard some sort of cry, but it didn't sound even remotely _human._

That wasn't good.

Tyrian let out a heavy breath and held his head back up high. His eyes flicked up to the moon, and for a moment he was able to see the dark outline of something against its light. Something flying in front of it, perhaps.

He looked back over his shoulder to see that he had wandered off the road at some point. Tyrian couldn't help the sinking feeling in his stomach that told him that he'd wandered fairly far off of the road and was going to need to make his way back to it at some point. If he could manage to find the road.

Maybe he was going to be unable to do so, and then the others weren't going to be able to find them again.

The thought made his stomach flip. What if the others really couldn't find him again? What if he had been carried out to this part of the forest because the goddess was trying to dispose of him?

Tyrian couldn't help the quiet pained whimper that escaped him when he felt the pain in his arms began to flare. He rubbed at his right arm, knowing that he was probably about to reopen some sort of injury in the process. Tyrian couldn't help it, he needed _something_ to remind him that he actually belonged there and that it was okay for him to be there.

He'd feel too much like he was floating and disconnected otherwise.

"-ome"

The sound was so quiet that Tyrian wasn't sure that it was an actual word. He was sure that it was the misheard rustling of the wind through trees, or it was an animal moving through the underbrush. But there was something in his head that told him, that there was someone trying to whisper to him and tempt him away from where he was, or wherever it was going.

"Hell-"

"-ome." The sound was there again, before Tyrian could get a chance to give a nervous greeting in hopes that he was going to be able to get whatever it was that was bothering him to leave him alone. Maybe it was another traveler thinking that he was someone else. Or an animal, Tyrian reminded himself was a strong possibility. He didn't want to discount that chance.

Not when he was so upset already.

Tyrian shifted and turned in the space where he was standing, his eyes darting around his surroundings like he thought that he was going to be able to find something there. When he found nothing, Tyrian bit back a too frustrated snarl before dropping down into a crouch and pressing one of his hands against the ground.

The man's eyes slip shut, and for just a little while, Tyrian had no choice for what he was supposed to do other than wait there, listen, and feel. If there was something else out in the forest and it was using the ground, then Tyrian would be able to feel it coming.

At least, that was the theory that Tyrian decided to attach himself to.

He felt nothing, and Tyrian couldn't help how unhappy that made him. He wasn't as able to watch the skies as he could have been. If there was something waiting to attack him from above, then Tyrian was sure that he wasn't going to be able to deal with it.

The fact that he'd left the inn room unarmed didn't help with any of that. It meant that Tyrian was going to have so much more to be afraid of. When he'd wandered out of the inn that night, he'd been hoping to relax. Not to fight. If worse came to worse, all that he was going to have was going to be his own tail and semblance to depend on.

It was a losing battle if he'd ever heard of one. Tyrian didn't like the prospect of having to face that on any level.

" _-ome._ " There was the sound again, too strong and too insistent. It was becoming less of a call, it was now a command. One that Tyrian felt compelled to obey by something outside of his realm of his understanding.

Tyrian paused and didn't allow himself to move at that point. Maybe if he stood there and waited in silence, then he would be able to make out where it was coming from. Or whether or not there was something in particular looking to reach out for him.

It was there, calling to him. This time, Tyrian was certain that what he was hearing was definitely a word, a voice beckoning him close and closer to something that he wasn't able to imagine.

And despite every instinct that screamed at Tyrian to react to it, he followed it further and further into the woods. If he was smart he would listen to those instincts. He'd backtrack, or he'd do something to make sure that he was ready to go into a fight at some point. He'd find a place to hide or try to find a way to contact the others so that he wasn't just out there in the woods all alone.

"Hello?" Tyrian called into the forest, hoping that he'd hear some sort of response. Even if he was expecting to hear the voice saying the same word that it had been every other time, he wanted to try. "Who is-"

Tyrian took a few steps forward, not bothering to look down at the ground. If he ended up falling and getting injured, then Tyrian was certain that his aura was going to be enough to heal him before it became a serious problem.

Unless...

"Come, Tyrian."

The voice echoed even louder through the forests. Tyrian desperately wished that he wasn't struck by fear. He wished that his heart didn't managed to freeze in his chest. He wished that he wasn't alone and had some sort of way to call for help.

How would it know his name?

That was the only thing that Tyrian could think of all of a sudden as he took shaky step after shaky step forward in the hopes that he'd be able to find some sort of salvation. The feeling of his foot making contact with something that was less than solid was enough to make Tyrian freeze in place one more.

"Tyrian." The voice was there again, much louder than before and now without any of the resonation that the forest had offered earlier.

And yet, Tyrian was completely alone.

"Hello?" Tyrian asked, his eyes widening and darting around the area in search of anything that could tell him what was actually happening there. Deep down, Tyrian was absolutely certain that this was something that would only manage to defy all logic.

"Tyrian." The voice said again, this time so close that it almost felt like it was echoing in his ears and nothing else. The voice was more than a whisper. And yet, there was something gentle about it.

For the first time, he took the chance to examine and begin to understand what he was hearing. The voice was definitely feminine, with a sort of familiarity about it that Tyrian couldn't quite put his finger on.

"He-"

"Thank you for coming to me, Tyrian." The voice whispered to him, and Tyrian almost thought that he could feel something brushing against his skin that wasn't quite there. It was too real.

"Who are-"

"Who am I, Tyrian?" The voice asked him, with that feeling akin to contact pulling away from his skin. For a moment, he became well aware of the injuries on his arms. The brands and scars there began to burn and ache in ways that Tyrian couldn't ignore. It was too intense, but also pleasant in a rare way. But the voice dragged his attention back to whatever he was hearing. "Do you not recognize my voice?"

Tyrian swallowed hard, searching his mind for any sort of answer that he could give the disembodied voice. He blinked, and his tail twitched back and forth. Despite all of that, Tyrian didn't do anything to try and protect himself from the world around him.

The one saving grace of this was that he no longer had screams echoing in his head.

Finally, everything slotted into place.

"My Goddess-"

"Yes, Tyrian." She said. "Close your eyes for me, my child."

Tyrian wanted to go ahead and attempt to protest, but it almost felt like his eyes had been tugged shut against his will entirely. In his mind, he was almost able to imagine her. He imagined her as tall, with long fingers that would wrap around his wrist when he needed her. He imagined her hair, tied back but also loose. For some reason, it was dark like his.

He imagined a soft smile that Tyrian wasn't entirely sure that belonged to someone he'd never seen in person.

The visage began to shift itself and rearrange itself. The woman's skin paled and went whiter and whiter, until dark veins began to creep across her body like a lattice.

This was Her, his Goddess. He didn't know who the face that she had before belonged to, but it came with the painful tug of a long buried memory.

She stared at him with one red eye, and one amber eye. Her smile wasn't quite Her own.

"Hello, Tyrian."

"My Goddess," Tyrian began, searching his mind for anything that he could say to Her to make Her explain Herself to him. "My Goddess, come to see me-"

"Yes, Tyrian." She whispered to him, stepping forward and watching him. She didn't raise a hand to touch him, but She did look him up and down as though he was a specimen under her microscope. "I'm sorry to have brought you here so late, and so _unsuspectedly_."

There was a long pause, where Tyrian was fighting himself on whether or not it was for the best for him to speak up. He knew the consequences for what would happen if he stepped out of line all too well. He knew his Goddess' touch.

He knew that it was as full of love as it was of anguish.

"Thank you, my Goddess." Tyrian managed to get the words out, at barely above a whisper. He wanted to reach out for Her, but didn't dare for the for the fear of being burned. "I am glad to be here at your service-"

"But you are alone, Tyrian." She said, watching him with careful mismatched eyes. "I was expecting that you would come with others."

That was more than enough to make Tyrian feel like his stomach had managed to flip over. Alone? Was he supposed to have brought the others along with him? Had he done something wrong?

Already there was anxiety beginning to stir in Tyrian's stomach over the whole thing.. If he had been meant to be with others, then he was sure that the Goddess wouldn't hesitate to punish him. He bit back a whimper that threatened to make its way out of him. She seemed to understand and leaned in towards him just slightly.

A wave of a pale, black vein-lined hand was enough to make Tyrian life his head though. It was a slow process, and Tyrian's nervousness seemed to flow out of his every pore. She seemed to be more than well aware of it, based on the slight pursing of her lips.

"Why are you alone, Tyrian?"

"They were sleeping." Tyrian forced his answer out in a whisper. It wasn't enough to make him feel even the slightest bit calmer about everything that was happening. If things were falling apart, then She wouldn't hesitate to lash out at him. He swallowed hard and felt his tail twitch. "I didn't want to wake them."

"I see." The Goddess held her head high, and she straightened up. Her hands laced together in front of her as she watched him. "You are to return here, Tyrian." Tyrian nodded slowly in understanding, and fought back every urge that told for him to drop down to his knees and grovel for Her. He needed to place himself below Her in every way.

A nod wasn't what She wanted from him though, that was all too obvious, based on the sneering tone in Her voice when She spoke down to him. "Do you understand?"

"I do, my Goddess."

"Good." She snapped the word out. "You are to return here tonight at nightfall, and when you do, you will be with your teammates. Do you understand?"

"I do, my Goddess."

She smiled, and still it was not her own.

* * *

"Who can tell me about the construction of this road?" Doctor Oobleck called as he walked with the four of them, and Ruby was happy to bounce alongside him as they walked. With Doctor Oobleck, it almost felt like some of the awkwardness that existed between the team wasn't really there.

Besides, Ruby thought to herself, he'd been a part of her life for as long as she could remember. Doctor Oobleck was almost like home in some ways.

When nobody answered his question though, he frowned and stopped beside an old mile marker and turned to the four of them. "No answers?"

Ruby blinked and looked over at Yang, who just shrugged. Weiss and Blake exchanged a look in what seemed to be a very rare example of understanding between the two of them. Neither of them spoke up, and so Ruby was left wracking hr mind for something that she could say.

Maybe she had missed that day of class?

A solid half minute passed before Doctor Oobleck decided to speak up, reaching over to the mile marker and resting an open hand on top of it. The stone had began to become overgrown with soft green moss, but underneath it Ruby could almost make out a carving that looked like a woman, surrounded by leaves.

It was beautiful, but it also looked like it had been carved ages ago. "I don't think we know." Ruby finally admitted, shifting uncomfortably before reaching up to brush some of her hair out of her face. "Why do we need to know that?"

Doctor Oobleck nodded and seemed to be holding out some sort of sigh before he began his explanation. "It's not necessarily common knowledge." He began his explanation. "This road has been there ever since the first construction of Vale. It's rare that certain routes are able to stay the same for so long, but this one has never changed."

"Why does that matter?" Weiss asked, blinking her blue eyes but standing there tall like she was somehow one of the prides in that group. Like she was something to be shown off. Ruby didn't quite know what to think, but she guessed that it was good that Weiss looked confident. "It's just a road."

"Not exactly." Doctor Oobleck began his explanation again. "Nothing merely exists for the sake of existing, and nothing is able to stay standing for no good reason." Ruby glanced over at the mile marked again, and watched the way that Doctor Oobleck's thumb brushed over the carving on the stone, almost reverently. "In the case of this road, it's one of the few early trade routes between Vale and Vacuo that has managed to be maintained over the years."

Yang nodded slowly, lacing her hands behind her head and stretching slightly before speaking up for herself. "So this road has been here for forever. But nobody ever seems to use it."

Doctor Oobleck grimaced and he picked his head up to look up at the sky. The sun glinted against his glasses, and a soft breeze slipped through the trees before he decided to continue. "Travel between kingdoms has historically shifted in how safe it was several times over. As of now, we are in a period where travel by sky is much safer than using the ground routes. Aside from that..." He shook his head. "You've all been able to see the grimm."

Ruby paused, and she took a step forward, finally beginning to feel confident about what she wanted to ask doctor Oobleck about the road. "So what about when you were-"

"When I was your age, people used this road quite often." Doctor Oobleck explained all too calmly. "One wouldn't want to travel alone, of course, but it was much safer back then. These markers were here, but they weren't in as dismal of a condition."

"Right." Blake spoke up, shifting and crossing her arms over her chest like she was almost angry. "This road stuff is all nice and good for you, but I don't see why it's important."

"We move forward partially by understanding our pasts, miss Belladonna." Doctor Oobleck said, his voice almost deadly calm as he stood there and watched the four of them. "And some of those things remain as constants, for as long as people have been around."

"Right."

Weiss looked over at the marker, and Ruby almost wanted to ask her about whether or not there were roads like this one out of Atlas. Maybe this was something special, and that was why Doctor Oobleck was talking about it. But instead, she decided to look back at the professor and ask a question once again.

"Hey, Doctor Oobleck?"

"Yes, Ruby?" He asked, turning to face her all too quickly. "What is it?"

Ruby glanced over at the marker. "What's with the carving there?"

The Doctor smiled softly. "That my dears, is a very long story."

Ruby looked over at her teammates, curious to see what their reactions were. What she saw was that they were all standing there, all seeming attentive in their own ways.

She blinked, unsure of what to do, smiled and looked up to Doctor Oobleck. "If we're travelling, I guess we have time?"

Doctor Oobleck smiled back down at her, nodded, and began to walk away with her, telling stories about young girls and the seasons.

Ruby listened to every word intently, remembering a time when her father would tell her and Yang stories before they went to bed every night.


	16. Gelid

Ozpin sat quietly behind their desk, looking between the group that had gathered by their desk curiously as they awaited for any of them to speak up and begin to lead the conversation of the day ahead of them. Ozpin did have a certain agenda that they wanted to go forward with that day, but it was often for the best to let one of the others start things off and let the conversations and topics flow naturally from there.

Normally, they could trust one of the others to broach a topic without them ever needing to prod.

They were all seated around the desk at the center of the room, all of them looked utterly exhausted.

Qrow looked like he had just managed to crawl out of bed only a few minutes before, James looked like he was already deeply annoyed with something and Ozpin had to guess that it wasn't the fact that it was early in the morning, and Glynda looked like her mind was somewhere else as she tried to prepare her lesson plans for the day ahead of them.

Eventually one of them would speak up. Ozpin just didn't know which one of them would be the first to crack.

In the end, it was Qrow, and his words came accompanied by a sharp red-eyed glare. "So my nieces are out in the field." He said, his voice frustrated and almost angry. Ozpin didn't let themself get bothered by it, if only because it was for the best if one of them managed to keep a cool head in the time that they were there. After all, they understood Qrow's frustrations.

"They are." Ozpin confirmed. 'Bart seemed to be rather happy with the assignment."

"Yeah," Qrow growled. "I know. But he _also_ said that they would be back last night."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, unsure of how they were supposed to react to Qrow's words. Normally a seasoned huntsman wouldn't read into someone being late getting back from a mission, but when it came to people's families things were always different. Despite the fact that there were thousands of answers that they could have given to Qrow to explain the fact that Bart's expedition hadn't yet returned, Ozpin couldn't help but think that none of them sounded sufficient.

They knew what this was about. They knew Qrow. Qrow was just afraid to lose more family than he already had.

"I suppose that Bart did." Ozpin said calmly. "I have faith that he will return with all four of the girls that he's been sent out with intact."

Qrow seemed to grit his teeth in visible frustration, and he leaned in slightly towards Ozpin. At his side, James was rolling his eyes in annoyance. Ozpin couldn't help but wonder whether or not James' irritation that morning was a product of Qrow's presence. It was entirely likely, based on what Ozpin did know about how James and Qrow were.

"I just want to know where my nieces are," Qrow said through his teeth. "For Tai's sake."

Ozpin sighed quietly. "They have been sent out on a routine patrol mission and should be back soon." It wasn't going to be enough to make Qrow feel better, but it was also all that Ozpin could really offer as an explanation for the situation. "I have faith in Bart. You're one of his friends, it would be for the best that you place some faith in him as well."

"If I may-" Glynda began, cutting into the conversation and looking down at the scroll that she had so expertly balanced on her arm. "We haven't heard from the five of them since they left."

"Yeah," Qrow growled, baring his teeth slightly. " _We haven't._ "

James raised an eyebrow at that, and Ozpin saw the way that he began to check something on his scroll like he thought that he was going to be able to unlock the secrets of the universe in that way. He was silent, but Ozpin couldn't help but think that James wasn't doing whatever he was doing without reason.

"James?" Ozpin asked. "Is there something that you would like to share?"

James paused and looked up and between the four of them before sighing heavily. "It may be a tower maintenance day." He said all too calmly. "If that's the case, then the towers in the area would be down and contact beyond local radios would be next to impossible."

"Yeah, well Oz should have thought about that if-"

"Qrow." James cut the man off with one word. "You can _fly._ Why haven't you used that to find out where your nieces are?"

All of the color seemed to drain out of Qrow's face at once. "You know I can't see through stone, right?"

James rolled his eyes, and Ozpin let out a sigh before interjecting.

"It would be for the best to give them a chance to return. Missions can run long for any sort of reason, from running into conflict to decisions based on pacing the team so that nobody gets exhausted. I would think that you would be well aware of that Qrow."

That seemed to sober the room entirely. Qrow slumped back into his own seat in an attempt to calm himself down and relax. With that, Ozpin took the chance to begin to steer the conversation so that they could go through everything that needed to be confronted that morning.

"Qrow-" Ozpin began, their voice as even as ever. "I want to know how your last perimeter check went."

Qrow shrugged. "Same as the one before it." He mumbled. "Nothing new, nobody on the roads, too early for anything to be going on."

"And the skies?" Ozpin asked, hoping that it was going to garner some sort of reaction or answer that they could use. "Nothing abnormal?"

"Didn't see anything other than Jimmy's ships."

James sighed and shook his head, looking frustrated. "The Schnee ship should be leaving tonight." He said, sounding frustrated. "Jacques won't leave me alone about the fact that his daughter has apparently run off on him entirely."

"I'd expect that." Ozpin said calmly. "I scheduled this trip for them when I did for a reason."

Based on the way that James picked his head up and raised an eyebrow over that little revelation, Ozpin was sure that the man hadn't considered the possibility of Jacques Schnee's departure being just one of many chips involved in this game. It was odd to think of him in those terms, but Ozpin supposed, at least to some degree, that Jacques Schnee was merely a pawn when he managed to hold so much power independently.

The only thing was that Ozpin was the one that was playing the game and moving pieces as needed.

"You planned this." James finally spoke up, his voice low and dark in tone, and his eyes skeptical. Ozpin was sure that the man was already going through thousands of possibilities for things that he was going to have to do later on. Ozpin supposed that had to be suspected, seeing as James was a member of the Atlesian council, and as a result was going to end up being one of the people that Jacques would voice the most complaints to. Ozpin suspected that James would have done just about anything to make sure that he didn't fall into a situation where he had no choice but to deal with the Schnee patriarch.

"I won't deny that I had a hand in setting things in motion as they are." Ozpin admitted. They supposed that there were better ways for them to go about the topic and bring it into focus, but for now, this would have to do. "Miss Schnee displayed a great deal of talent in the arena when we tested her for entrance into this academy." Ozpin explained all too calmly. "I don't want to see us finding ourselves in a position where we have no choice but to let her go when it seems that she wants to be here."

James let out a quiet sigh, and under the currents of it, Ozpin was absolutely certain that they were able to hear James swear. The man was exceptional when it came to covering up how he was feeling most of the time. It was an admirable trait, it anything.

But the general's grimace did speak for itself in a way, Ozpin thought to themself.

And James' words only served to further that idea. "You know that this won't be the last that we hear of Jacques because of this,"

"I'm aware." Ozpin answered, since that was about all that they were able to say. "Seeing as Doctor Oobleck hasn't yet returned back to Vale with the team of students he was assigned, it may be a while before we see Miss Schnee again." They paused and picked their head up to get a good look at James and try to figure out what James was thinking. There had to be something that the man wanted to do in order to keep things together as they were. "What are you thinking, James?"

It was a prod, one that probably wasn't even necessary, but Ozpin couldn't help but think that going forward and seeing what was going on in James' head was going to be the best thing moving forward.

James let out a quiet sigh and Ozpin watched the way that the man lifted his head up so that he could get a quick glance over at the door to the room. He was staring at it, checking that there was nobody there. Already, Ozpin was realizing that it was all too likely that there was going to be something brought to the table that nobody in that room was technically privy to. It wouldn't have been the first time that James went ahead and did something to let slip classified military secrets.

Surely, Ozpin thought, Jacques Schnee's presence was among those things. They knew that James had been involved in a number of rather heated discussions with regards to the Dust contract that had been brought to the table. Whether or not something had been finalized or decided on was something that Ozpin couldn't speak for.

But based on James' expression, there was something that could be said for it all.

"James?"

The general hesitated for a long moment before he began to explain. "The Schnee Contract hasn't yet been signed," He said quiet, keeping his voice so quiet that it was actually hard to believe that James wasn't telling the truth. Usually the general could be trusted, but Ozpin had learned long ago that trust wasn't something that the general usually placed his energy into. He didn't believe in anyone around him, only in himself. "If Jacques Schnee leaves without his daughter, it can be assumed that the Dust supply contract between the Atlesian military, Atlas Academy, and the Schnee Dust Company will be off the table for the time being."

And for the first time, James leveled his dark eyes on Ozpin in a half-glare. "I have known Jacques Gelè and Willow Schnee both for my entire life," James began, keeping his voice down. "He isn't the type to let things down. Willow may have no interest in these matters these days, but Jacques?" James shook his head. "He's a bitter man. Petty, even. If he feels that he has been wronged, you can trust that he will do anything in his power to keep others from realizing how bad things are."

"Wait-" Qrow spoke up, his voice hoarse as ever. He looked deeply annoyed himself, and Ozpin figured that there had to be a reason for it. Of course, Ozpin knew that Qrow didn't tend to be the biggest fan of Atlesian high society to begin with. The Schnees were the poster children for that part of society.

James' head picked up and he stared over at Qrow. "What?"

"You have known the guy your entire life?" Qrow prodded, leaning in forward and crossing his arms over his chest like he thought that he was going to be able to find a way to keep going forward in all of this. "If that's the truth, then why can't you _do something_ to stop him from being a pain?"

Without fail, the General's expression darkened and Ozpin almost wanted to do something to intervene before the inevitable argument between the general and Qrow could begin. It was always too easy for the two of them to be able to fall into a fight, and Ozpin had watched the two men come to blows over whatever was wrong a few times in the past.

This would surely be no exception to that rule.

But James didn't jump at the bait. He stared forward, and Ozpin couldn't help but think that it was like he was trying to gaze into another world. Despite being there in that room, the general didn't even seem to be there. It wouldn't have been the first time that a member of Ozpin's council found themself in a situation where they weren't a part of things there. Ozpin had seen it happen to Qrow when the topic of bandits in the outer kingdom got dragged up. They'd seen it in Glynda, when she thought back to a time where she had been young and hopeful once.

And when the General got that look on his look, Ozpin had learned that James was usually caught up in something else. Often it was James dwelling on bad memories, or trying to think through thousands of military strategies all at once.

"James?" Glynda asked, doing her best to prod the conversation forward. Ozpin watched as she shifted just a little bit closer to him and raised a hand in the hopes that she could snap him back to reality.

Finally, James spoke, and it was with his voice beyond hushed in tone. It was all in his eyes, and the way that they dropped to the ground almost submissively, and the tensing of his jaw and shoulders. And then when he spoke, there was something angry in his tone that Ozpin couldn't quite identify without taking the time to keep going.

"I have known them for most of my life." James said, his voice hardening along with his expression. "That is true, but you need to understand that the only thing that I have on my side in this matter is the fact that I have a couple contracts on my side." He paused for a long while. "But if those bridges are being burned for the sake of you recruiting a new student, Ozpin-"

For a moment, Ozpin felt something that was akin to anger and frustration. They wanted to know what James was thinking, they wanted to know what he was about to say. But at the same time, there was a certain awareness of the strong possibility that the general was about to chew them out for everything that was going on. Deep down, Ozpin understood that anger and that frustration. James was being placed in a difficult situation, and Ozpin was sure that as far as Atlesian trade partners went, the Schnees were probably the most important ones of the lot.

There was no way that the general was going to be able to ignore all of this and keep moving on in his life.

"I understand." Ozpin said, feeling a little more than bitter, if only because they were certain that there was no way that they were going to be able to get past everything that was wrong with this situation.

Deep down, Ozpin was certain that their relationship with General James Ironwood, Headmaster of Atlas Academy had been damaged permanently by this.

They hoped desperately that wouldn't be the case.

* * *

Weiss stood just outside of the small cave that they had decided would serve as their shelter the night before. She felt like her skin was crawling, and the wind was far too cold as it blew through the cave (Weiss was aware that it wasn't like Atlas' cold, but it chilled her nonetheless). As of then, the others were all up and getting ready for the day ahead of them. Most of them were already up, some doing their best to clear out their sleeping spaces.

Weiss had already gone ahead and done that for herself, and now she was just in a place where she wanted to be sure that she was going to be able to go forward with everything that was planned that day. As she understood things, part of the day was going to be mostly travelling, but they were also supposed to be getting close to the grimm that wandered outside of the city.

She couldn't exactly pretend as though she was quite ready for that to happen. For Weiss, even fighting a proper simulation grimm was something that she hadn't been able to experience. Training matches against her older sister did little to hone her skills for a proper battlefield, regardless of what Winter was experienced with herself.

Her only true opponent that she'd ever faced had been against Blake.

Weiss picked her hand up and gently fingered the scar that cut down her face, thinking hard on what it represented for her future as she stood there. It was her first proper battle scar, and the fact that it had come against a person was something to be proud of, Weiss supposed. Even then, she wasn't so sure that she'd actually been able to do that much to prove herself as a warrior.

Maybe she was meant to wear it as a badge of shame.

Even when they were in a situation where they'd never managed to do anything facing a grimm or any sort of opponent, Weiss couldn't help that think she was far behind all of her teammates. Blake was the better fighter, and Yang seemed to have some sort of strength about her that Weiss was sure she wasn't going to be able to touch. Ruby was fast and excitable, and while Weiss wanted to doubt in her abilities, prodigy status did speak for itself in a way. 

And that left her as the odd one out. The spoiled heiress with next to nothing to make her a warrior to her name.

"Miss Schnee-" A voice behind Weiss was all that was needed to make her turn around to see that Doctor Oobleck had decided that he wanted to join her at the side of the cave and look out at the world. "May I speak to you for a moment?"

"Yes-" Weiss began, looking up at her professor out of the corner of her eye and through her white hair. She didn't know what he could possibly want from her, but at the same time, Weiss figured it was for the best to be open to speak with him. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing is wrong-" The man began, talking a little more quickly that Weiss was used to. "I just wanted to ask you some questions about what has brought you here."

Already, Weiss could feel her heart sinking in her chest. She wasn't so sure that she wanted to answer that question, if only because she was deeply afraid to know what he wanted. Already, she was certain that her name was going to be a leading topic in the conversation. Already, Weiss was afraid that she was about to be judged for status rather than what she was actually capable of.

"I... suppose that there's nothing wrong with that." Weiss finally managed after some hesitation. "What is it?"

"MIss Schnee-"

"Weiss." She corrected. Deep down, Weiss didn't know whether or not there was a proper way for the man to address her. Already Weiss was certain that she was about to be disowned for rebelling against her father as she had, and she had absolutely no faith in the idea that her father hadn't changed his travel plans explicitly for the sake of dragging her home with him.

If that wasn't the case, then Weiss was also fairly certain that her father was going to do everything in his power to make her life a living hell.

"Yes, of course." Doctor Oobleck answered. "Weiss. I wanted to ask where you got your combat training."

Weiss paused, and she glanced down at the hilt of Myrtenaster, where it rested so gently against her waist. It was there, waiting for her to take it in hand and fight with it that day. Already Weiss didn't know that she was going to be able to do that. If they faced a grimm, she was already certain that she would be useless.

But she needed to answer and carry on the conversation, if only because that was what was considered to be proper. Never leave a conversation unfinished, that was one of the many lessons that she'd managed to learn from her mother directly. That had been before Whitley. It was a knowledge that had been passed down from mother to daughter, seemingly as far back as anyone could remember.

It was all but a rule of Atlesian society. One that was never shared with the men because they didn't need it.

Weiss didn't like it, but she knew perfectly well that there was a good reason for that. She'd seen the sort of men that ruled Atlas all during her upbringing, and so now because of that almost ancestral knowledge, she knew that it was for the best if she spoke up and answered some of Doctor Oobleck's questions.

She steeled herself and held her head high, if only because Weiss was already expecting to be looked down on for the true answer behind her training. She was certain that all of her teammates and Doctor Oobleck had received some sort of formal combat training in their lives.

As for her, she couldn't say that. That didn't mean that she wasn't going to do whatever was in her power to make sure that others respected how she'd gotten her early combat experience anyways.

"My older sister trained me." Weiss explained, holding her head high and letting her hand raise and rest on Myrtenaster. The metal of the weapon was cool against her skin, and Weiss couldn't help but find that there was something delightful in the bite of it against her skin. If it was frozen, Weiss was sure that she still would have relished in it.

"I see." Doctor Oobleck responded, all too calmly. "Am I correct in assuming that you mean your sister, Winter?"

"That is correct." Weiss answered, her mind already racing with thoughts and questions about how Doctor Oobleck knew that.

If there was anything that Weiss was certain of, there were a number of possibilities for why he would know. For instance, there was the very obvious fact that over the course of her entire life Weiss could remember very few times where her parents had done anything to hide her or her siblings from the spotlight. There was the fact that any company changing heirs would become news to some.

In fact, Weiss wouldn't have been surprised for a second to find out that her sister's leaving the Schnee Dust company had been well publicized.

"Can I ask you something?" Weiss turned slightly, making sure to look her professor in the eyes as best as she could manage. It wasn't easy, largely because of the rather significant height difference between the two of them.

"Of course, Weiss.' Doctor Oobleck said, sipping from his thermos that Weiss could have sworn hadn't been there the moment before. He was fast, but Weiss didn't think that he was capable of doing something like magically making something appear out of thin air like that. "What ever is the problem?"

Weiss paused and glanced over at the man out of the corner of her eye in the hopes that she'd be able to find a good way to word her question. "How do you know-"

"About your sister Winter?" Doctor Oobleck cut her off before Weiss got a chance to finish, and while there was a small part of Weiss that wanted to feel offended because of it, she couldn't bring herself to get there. "Yes, of course."

There was a long pause between the two of them. Weiss stared up at the doctor for a while, waiting for him to say something. He only began to speak once Weiss opened her mouth to confirm that was what she was asking about.

"If I may explain," Doctor Oobleck began, "As a student of history, I find great interest in seeing the way that things develop around the world. Economics are one of those many great forces, and you would be surprised to learn how codependent a kingdom can become with its own industries and corporations."

Weiss tilted her head slightly, unsure of how she was going to be able to read into Doctor Oobleck's words. She'd been simply asking about how Winter was known to Doctor Oobleck. Economics and kingdoms hadn't even been in the scope of things that she was concerned with. "Doctor Oobleck?"

"Allow me to explain-" Doctor Oobleck began. "When your sister decided to enlist in the Atlesian military it made some news in economic journals around the kingdoms. The news that one of the most powerful companies in this world was going to change hands in a different way than expected was rather large."

Weiss paused, thinking it over and finding herself unhappy with the implications of it all. If Winter losing her position of heiress had been such a big deal, then she was sure that her own name had been publicized. If that had been the case, then Weiss was sure that her being cut from the company would be news in itself.

She could feel her stomach flip, and Weiss absolutely hated it. This wasn't something that she wanted to think about. Would fame make her life more difficult once her father decided that he wanted to throw her off to the side in favor of Whitley?

Weiss didn't know. She was afraid to know.

But she needed to say something. "Is that the only reason that you know about Winter?" Weiss asked, picking her head up and looking up at the huntsman. "I don't know where she's serving right now."

"I can't say that my path has crossed with hers," he explained calmly. "Although, I can say that I have heard some rather good things about her out of the general."

And there it was, Weiss thought to herself. Winter having favor with one of the more important men in their world seemed to be working out in her favor. As for Weiss, she didn't know whether or not she was going to be able to be taken as seriously as she would have liked because of that.

Despite it all, Weiss couldn't think of anything else that she really wanted to say to the man standing at her side. It felt like nothing was ever going to be able to say everything that Weiss needed it to. She shifted just slightly where she was standing so that she could look back over her shoulder to see that none of her teammates were listening in.

She wished that she felt like she could actually trust in them.

"Miss Schnee," Doctor Oobleck began, his voice gravely serious and surprisingly slow for how he tended to be. "I don't know what you are capable of just yet, but I must tell you that there is no shame in being trained in an untraditional way." There was a long pause. "Beacon is your chance to have all of that, I hope you understand that."

For a moment, she couldn't help but feel a little bit lost for answers. How was she supposed to be able to act like everything was fine when it all so obviously wasn't. "I suppose you're right." Weiss said, keeping her voice down. "I'm just worried that I'm not good enough to be here."

"If I may," Doctor Oobleck sipped from his themos. "You wouldn't have been admitted into this academy if Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch didn't see some sort of great potential in you." He hesitated for a longer moment than Weiss would have thought that he was capable of. "While it may be true that you haven't gotten a chance to prove yourself yet, the potential is definitely in you."

"Because I'm a Schnee?"

"No." Doctor Oobleck said, his voice going all quiet for a moment as he got more and more contemplative as he stood there with her. "I think that there's another reason for it beyond your lineage." He was interrupted by the sound of his scroll beeping.

Weiss almost jumped at the sound, and she looked up at Doctor Oobleck with interest as he quickly checked his scroll for something. The man let out a quiet sigh, and for just a moment Weiss couldn't help but to worry about whatever had happened. However, he gave nothing away as he quickly stowed his scroll back away out of view before turning to face Weiss.

"I'm afraid that it's time that we get back on the road, Miss Schnee." His voice was soft, and gentle in ways that Weiss wasn't used to. It almost made her feel warm, but she was quick to quash the feeling with the thought that it meant that she needed to check that her things were in order before they set back on the road in search of whatever it was that they were supposed to be looking for.

In the spot where she had been standing, Weiss shifted slightly and turned just enough so that she could take a look at the others over her shoulder. "I understand." She gave her response, and there was something in the back of Weiss' mind that was registering the fact that her response had been just a little bit more stilted than she would have liked. Weiss knew that she was going to have to get out of the habit of playing the unemotional one sometime, or forget that she wasn't trying to impress someone for a little while.

But for now, it felt like it was going to be a difficult habit to break.

"You should get your things." Doctor Oobleck said, all too calmly. "We have a long day ahead of us, Weiss. We wouldn't want to see any of you falling behind." Just as Weiss began to take her first few steps away from the professor, she felt like something had dragged her back.

"And miss Schnee-" Oobleck spoke, his voice too calm. "Do try to remember our conversation."

"I will." Weiss said, forcing on a smile as she made her way over to the bedroll that she'd been loaned by Beacon Academy for the sake of this mission. "Thank you, Doctor Oobleck."

"You're very welcome, Weiss."

After that, Weiss was content to let the quiet wash over the two of them for the time being while she gathered her belongings and let their conversation continue to ring in the back of her mind.


	17. Progression

Tyrian had stormed into the room early in the morning, hollering and crying about how he had allegedly managed to make contact with his beloved _Goddess_. As expected, that had caused some frustration amongst the three of them that had still been asleep, and Cinder very much included herself in that number. For the first time in a long while, she'd felt like she'd been able to shake some of the exhaustion that clung to her body. All for it to be ruined by a man in hysterics.

But it turned out that any possibly appearance of the so-called Goddess was something that had to be taken seriously, regardless of how it was presented to them. At least, that was how Watts and Hazel seemed to treat the matter.

Because of that, Cinder was now standing outside of the inn with a rambling Tyrian, while Watts was still inside making sure that they were checked out. Hazel had decided that he was taking the first part of the morning to gather some minor supplies that he hadn't bothered to name.

As for Cinder, she was mostly annoyed with having to hear Tyrian chatter so incessantly and so excitedly as he always did. There was a fairly large part of Cinder that seriously doubted he'd ever do something to stop. He'd never shown any sign stopping before.

Because of that, she decided to turn her uninjured eye up to the sky and watch for anything that could give them a clue as to what the day was going to look like. There were birds flying overhead, all in one direction. With the sun at their backs, they all looked black. Cinder didn't know whether it had something to do with prey or whether it had to do with something else.

Deep down, she wasn't so certain that she wanted to know. Mostly, she didn't think that it was going to matter. Birds were birds, simply going about their lives as they were supposed to- without care for anything else that was going on around them.

The door to the inn opened, and Cinder snapped her attention over to Doctor Watts, who stepped outside with his dossier book in hand and scribbling something down in it with a worn out pencil. He didn't bother to look up and see what Cinder and Tyrian were up to, seemingly much more interested in whatever was in his book than them.

Cinder watched as the man flipped a few pages and removed a map, opening it up and scribbling down some extra notes before he finally spoke.

And as usual, he didn't manage to come off as very kind when he spoke.

"Where is Hazel?"

Cinder was about to open her mouth to speak, but remembering how badly it had hurt to converse a few days before, she quickly quashed the thought and clamped her mouth back shut.

"He said that he was getting supplies." Tyrian said, having finally dropped the topic that had occupied his mind so relentlessly since his arrival back at the inn early in the morning. "He didn't say how long he thought it was going to take or where he was going, though-"

"I see." Arthur said, and despite the lack of a facial expression to accompany it, Cinder could practically hear the man sneering through every word. "I suppose that we should collect him before we leave, then."

The doctor somehow managed to frown even more under his facial hair before turning and leading the way through the village. Cinder and Tyrian exchanged a quick look between the two of them before they decided to follow after the man.

Surely enough, they did manage to find Hazel. When they did, he was in a relatively simple weapons shop, and Cinder's first thought that it was an old fashioned place. Nothing there had a foldable frame, nothing seemed to have any sort of high end trappings like what would be seen at one of the combat schools. It was all simple supplies, all seemingly meant to just give the bare minimum training to someone or to equip the locals just in case bandits came through.

But Hazel was there, his back turned to the door as he looked through a selection of shining crystals that were laid out on the counter in front of him. He seemed to be frowning at all of them, and Cinder watched the way that he would pick one up and the Dust would glow for a few seconds before he mumbled something to the shopkeeper.

When they came in, it sounded like the two of them were in a discussion on the prices, and Cinder realized after a moment that Hazel seemed to be doing his best to barter. It left her wondering what Hazel had to trade away for the sake of supplies. And why using Lien wasn't being brought into the discussion.

The tall man glanced back at them over his shoulder, and Cinder was quick to realize that Hazel didn't exactly look pleased by the interruption. He let out a sigh that sounded much more like a growl before reaching across the counter and shaking hands with the man there. After that, he was quick to retrieve a small pack from his bag and set it down on the counter between the two of them.

The shopkeeper opened it, and Cinder craned her neck to see what was inside.

What she saw was a selection of small packages of colored powder, and after a moment Cinder realized that Hazel was trading away Dust powder that must have been useless to him for the unrefined form that came straight out of the mines and was known for being more volatile.

Satisfied, the shopkeeper stowed the bags away and began to pack the new crystals into Hazel's pack before handing it back across the counter. Hazel paused, looking over the room that they were in like he was in search of something before taking a step away and saying his goodbyes.

With that, the four of them were able to leave the shop and collect themselves.

Arthur stared Hazel down, his eyes sharp as his tone. "Did you get everything that you needed?"

"Yes." Hazel grumbled, stashing the small bag of Dust back away in his things. "Could have been better."

"As usual." Arthur replied, frowning. "It wouldn't be such a problem if you found a more sustainable method for battle. Your reliance on Dust has always been a hindrance, and you know it."

Hazel rolled his eyes and began to lead the four of them out of the city. "It's always _worked."_

"It clearly isn't working so well if you need to trade powder for unrefined materials."

Cinder found herself to be all too aware of certain things about the way that the two men that seemed to trade off the title of 'leader' interacted. She couldn't help but notice the way that Hazel grit his teeth and glared at Watts dangerously. She couldn't ignore the way that Watts stood a little bit taller once he realized that he'd managed to get under Hazel's skin.

Neither of them spoke, but their eye contact did break faster a moment before Watts turned his eyes onto Tyrian and stared the man do

In that moment, Tyrian was standing several feet away from any of the others. He looked nervous, based on the way that he was wringing his hands together carefully in order to avoid injuring himself in the process. Cinder had come to realize fairly quickly that when given the chance, Tyrian liked to place some distance between himself and the rest of them. Cinder was sure that there had to be some reason for it.

Considering how the thin man tended to be normally, Cinder wasn't sure that she really wanted to know most things about Tyrian.

But he was nervous, and maybe scared. He was looking up at Watts with worried yellow eyes, and waiting for anyone to say something to him. Cinder wondered whether or not he was expecting some sort of outlash in his direction for the fact that he'd woken them all that moment. If that was what Tyrian was afraid of, then Cinder couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen once the man's priorities began to be made more clear.

"Yes?" Tyrian asked, his voice much more meek than Cinder would have normally expected. The man seemed like he was about ready to crumble under Doctor Watts' gaze, but he didn't let it happen. He just stood there, waiting some sort of instruction.

Finally, Watts spoke. HIs voice was as hard and sharp-edged as ever, and Cinder didn't think that was necessarily such a bad thing. "You said that we had somewhere to be?"

"We do." Tyrian replied as he stepped outside of the store where they'd gone to collect Hazel. "I do believe that I will be able to get use there without too much incident, oh yes, she will be proud-"

Cinder felt her stomach clench of the man's reaction, and she couldn't help but to pick up a hand and let her fingers brush against the scarring on the ruined left side of her face. How was Tyrian still able to act as though he worshipped his alleged Goddess when he had been harmed by her? When Cinder had been harmed by her? Was Tyrian somehow oblivious to the severity of the situation?

Deep down, Cinder wanted to doubt that Tyrian's case was one of ignorance. She suspected that there had to be something else going on that the man was reluctant to let any of the others be aware of. He knew more about the things that they were doing than she did, and Cinder couldn't help but feel a little bit bitter over that fact. She supposed that her jealousy and frustration wouldn't have been anywhere near as bad if not for the fact that things still failed to make sense, even when what she did know was pieced together.

There was a deeply uncomfortable silence that settled over the group of them. Watts was staring Tyrian like he thought that the man was going to spill his guts at any second and begin to give them something that could at the very least be considered somewhat useful that they could use. Cinder wondered whether or not the reason that Tyrian hadn't begun leading them away yet had to do with some sort of imagined time constraints.

But Watts said nothing. Tyrian stood there shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. Cinder took a half step forward and opened her mouth so that she could perhaps be the one to get the man to explain something, but was quickly stopped by a wave of Hazel's hand.

For the first time that morning, Cinder watched the way that power changed hands between Watts and Hazel. She suspected that she was going to end up seeing it happen a couple more times over the course of that day. When it happened, she certainly had no idea how she was going to see it happen. As far as Cinder had noticed, the two men had very little actual method when it came to how power shifted. It was circumstantial, and Cinder was sure that there was no sort of unspoken agreement between the two men.

No, Cinder thought to herself, Arthur and Hazel were both content to compete for power and to take their turns leading for as long as they could before one or the other became somehow obsolete.

It was a dangerous mentality, but Cinder didn't want to let herself obsess over it.

"Tyrian-" Hazel began, his voice managing to come out with its rather distinctive growl that shouldn't have fit on any man's vocal cords. Cinder supposed that it was _possible_ that Hazel was a faunus, but if he was, he hadn't done anything to show that to her. If he was, then maybe it was just for the best that he didn't let that part of himself show for the sake of the group dynamic.

"Yes?" Tyrian asked. His gaze was unfocused, glued securely to a single spot on the ground that Cinder had to wonder about for no reason other than the fact that Tyrian seemed to have trouble with his vision on the average day. He was still standing there nervously wringing his hands in front of him and tilting his head just slightly so that he was looking away from the four of them just a little bit more. "Is there?"

"Where are we going?" Hazel asked, his voice hardening into stone all at once along with his expression. He didn't move to leave, he didn't do anything to even begin to show himself in an aggressive manner. For the little while, it seemed that Hazel was just content to be there and to humor Tyrian until they had information that the four of them could actually use and follow.

All three of their eyes turned on Tyrian, and the man seemed to almost shrink back for just a moment before holding his head high, turning on his heel, and beginning to lead them out of the city. Because of the fact that Tyrian hadn't said so much as a word to them, Cinder couldn't help but think that he was worried for what would happen if the four of them were overheard for whatever reason.

Cinder looked up at Hazel, who just shrugged and followed after Tyrian. A quick glance over at Watts only earned her a glare as a response, and so Cinder decided that it was for the best if she was sure to follow close after the others. She fell into an impromptu sort of walking order, and soon the four of them were outside of the village that they'd decided to call their home for a little while.

They must have walked for a while, and Cinder had to wonder what it was that was tugging Tyrian in this particular direction. She couldn't raise her voice to ask though, and even if she did, Cinder was certain that she would only be rewarded with some sort of worshipful rambling.

Finally they stopped, and when it happened Cinder realized that they were close to an hour outside of the village, although they were sticking to the well travelled roads for the time being.

Tyrian found a mile marker of sorts and decided that it was going to be their base of operations for a little while based on the fact that there was a bench. He dropped down onto it and made himself comfortable before looking between the rest of them.

"She wanted us to come out at night." He said, his voice as calm as possible. "We're still about an hour away from where She wants us, but-"

"What do you mean _She doesn't want us yet?_ " Watts deadpanned, his voice threatening in tone. "Listen to me, _insect_ , if you lead us out here for nothing-"

"I didn't!" Tyrian cried out, his voice distinctly insistent on the matter. "She wanted us to come at night, but I can assure you that She wants us here!"

Cinder felt a spike of annoyance, but decided that if they were going to be there for a little while then maybe it was for the best if she took the chance to relax. Because of that she took the few steps forward before seating herself on the bench. When she did, she was sure to try and place as much distance between herself and Tyrian for the time being.

"Tyrian." Hazel spoke, and Cinder couldn't help but think that he had a knack for making himself sound purely bored in every way. The deadpan expression that he wore only served to help with that image, and Cinder was once again wondering about what would make a man like him travel as he did.

She had to wonder about all of them, really. There were days when she didn't feel like she really knew why she was travelling, but when she'd met people in the past they'd always insisted that it was okay based on her age. She was young, they would tell her. They would be sure to tell her that for someone in their early twenties wanting to see the world was just normal.

But Cinder looked at Hazel and Arthur, and she couldn't help but think that they were both old enough to be her father. Tyrian seemed like he was probably a good ten years older than Cinder, though she couldn't be sure based on his face alone. The man so much time squinting that Cinder was sure that it was having an effect on his features.

If there was anything that cinder could be certain of, it was that Hazel, Arthur, and Tyrian were confident in their alleged shared cause, as abstract in nature as it seemed to be.

A worry spiked in her that made Cinder wonder whether or not she was ever going to be able to truly integrate with the rest of them. The disadvantage that her age presented was a concern in itself, but Cinder wouldn't date let the others know that. If there was anything that she felt she could be confident in, it was that they wouldn't hesitate to throw her to the curb if she ended up being useless.

Cinder didn't want to find out just how bad it would be.

Tyrian shifted on the bench beside Cinder and looked up at Hazel with expectant eyes, but he didn't seem to be as afraid as he would have been had he been facing Arthur. Hazel stared down at him and crossed his arms over his chest before glancing up for something that Cinder couldn't quite identify. It was entirely likely that the man was just looking out to make sure that they were truly alone.

An uncomfortable wave of warmth passed over Cinder and she couldn't help but shiver, but she said nothing about it.

After a long time, Hazel spoke up again, his voice too calm. "How long are we supposed to wait?" He asked, not shifting or bothering to make himself a little bit more comfortable in the spot that he had selected to stand in. "Because if this is going to be an all night endeavor, we should find camp."

"Hazel is correct." Arthur said, sounding deeply annoyed with every word. He raised an arm in front of him and Cinder watched him push his sleeve up just slightly to see that he was wearing a watch. "It would be best if we don't spend all day standing around doing nothing."

The man's vibrant green eyes snapped over to Cinder. "And I suspect that you feel the same way?" Arthur asked, and Cinder realized quickly that even if she did have it in her to respond verbally, she would only manage to find herself getting shot down for it. Arthur presented her a question with no good options beyond agreeing with him.

She nodded, blinking slowly before looking over at Tyrian, whose gaze snapped over to her.

After a moment, Cinder realized that the man was staring at her like there was something seriously wrong. If there was, he wasn't doing anything to say anything on the matter. Even still his mouth dropped open slightly in something akin to shock.

Tyrian didn't peel his eyes away from Cinder, and she wasn't able to really ignore the creeping feeling that was crawling up her spine. She had to suppress a shiver, but it wasn't enough. Based on the way that Tyrian finally tore his gaze away from her, Cinder was fairly certain that her efforts had only managed to fail.

Nothing was said for a little while before Hazel let out an angry sort of growling sigh and waved a hand to direct the others to follow him as he began to lead the way into the forests in search of the best camping site that they could use for the rest of the day, and probably through the night.

At the very least, Watts seemed to be even more irritated with that development than anyone else did. Words of frustration were already rolling too easily off of his tongue as he complained all happily about the fact that they had managed to cover absolutely no ground over the course of that day.

As they took the time to set up camp, Cinder found herself silently agreeing with the man about what they were doing.

Blake absolutely hated the way that things were outside of the kingdoms and cities. She didn't like feeling like she had to look out for anything and everything that could come out of the forest to attack her. Too many times, she would be walking in formation with her teammates, hear a rustle of bushes, and Blake would have to do everything in her power not to jump.

Somehow, Adam managed to hide behind every tree while hiding behind none of them.

There were greater monsters out in the world, and now Blake was staring out at one as she stood on top of an outcropping of rocks with the others.

The beast was massive. Blake had never seen something of such great stature as it, she had never really been able to imagine a grimm so large even in abstract terms. It seemed to her that there were just some things that there was no appropriate sense of scale for. By Blake's estimation, this monster would have been able to flatten her home city of Kuo Koana with a single footstep. The thought was more than enough to send a chill up her spine.

"Woah." Ruby said, stepping up on top of the rock and raising a hand over her face almost like she was trying to salute something, but Blake knew that she was just trying to shield her eyes from the sun. Yang stepped up alongside her sister, and Weiss even took the chance to get in and get a better view of the beast.

Despite the fact that she wanted to see everything for herself, Blake found herself hanging back and watching. At her side, Doctor Oobleck was taking the chance to ramble some information into his scroll. Blake figured that he was recording whatever he was trying to say.

"It's..." Weiss began, hesitating. Her voice was quiet and amazed. Blake figured that the monsters that Weiss had grown up probably looked a lot like the ones that Blake had grown up with. Maybe in Atlas they didn't have grimm of this size.

Blake had heard stories about monsters so large that they lingered under the desert in Menagerie, but Blake didn't know much of of it she really believed.

"Huge." Yang finished, cracking her knuckles that she was going to be able to jump into a fight with it. She shifted slightly and grinned over at Ruby. "How hard do you think that thing can hit?"

Ruby's mouth opened a little bit like she thought that she'd be able to find a way to answer, but Blake decided to take the chance to speak up and give her own estimation.

"Something that big could probably take out a village without much effort." Blake deadpanned, taking the chance to pull her sleeve up a little bit as she watched the grimm move. "We'd probably be dead from the first second that we ended up in combat with it."

"You think so?" Yang asked, grinning widely and even cockily. "Because I think that I can-"

"I'm afraid not." Doctor Oobleck finally jumped into the conversation, and Blake realized that he'd stowed his scroll away. "Even with a semblance such as yours, that grimm would be able to remove you as a threat without any trouble."

Weiss looked back at the professor and she turned slightly so that she could finally face the professor. While Ruby and Yang seemed to be content to talk about the grimm, Weiss and Blake had a first rare moment of something akin to loyalty as the two of them looked to their professor.

Everything in Blake's mind screamed at her that the worst thing she could do in any situation was turn her back to a threat. When she got a good glance at Weiss, and the still healing scar on her face, Blake felt a clench of something in her stomach that she couldn't stand. Guilt, everything told her, but Blake didn't let herself think about it too hard. It was too painful.

"Doctor Oobleck?" Weiss piped up, like she thought that it was going to be enough to get things off the ground as far as conversation. "If we're here to see that grimm, then-"

"We're on a simple reconnaissance mission." Doctor Oobleck said, without any hesitation. "Daily reports to Professor Ozpin have given us a fair idea of just how far away from the city it is, but it's up to us to get a better idea of what it'll actually be like to fight."

"Wait-" Blake asked, turning just slightly so that she could look out at the grimm. "Someone is intending to actually fight that?"

"In Atlas we would send an army to fight it." Weiss said, crossing her arms over her chest and swaying just slightly as she watched their professor. "Or at least a few airships."

Doctor Oobleck raised an eyebrow over that comment, but didn't' say all that much about it. Blake was already thinking it over herself. To send anyone against something like that would surely only end with people getting killed and for Blake it was hard to think of any way that it wasn't going to end with losses of life on some level.

She was glad that they were out of the way of the grimm for the next little while. She was glad that they weren't on a mission that was going to involve them in a battle.

"Armies wouldn't do much good against a grimm of that size," Doctor Oobleck explained all too calmly. It left Blake with a feeling like something was crawling up her back and prickling against her neck. "I know it sounds counter intuitive, but nothing matches a team of trained Hunters in action."

Already, Blake's mind was spinning with all of the ways that she could speak up and refute Oobleck's claim. The ways that something like this would be handled in another part of the world were different. Blake was certain that the Fang wouldn't have waited for so long before reaching into battle.

Never mind that they never would have faced Grimm instead of people.

"But-" Weiss began to make an attempt to protest, but it didn't get very far. "-Is it such a good idea to let it wander out here?"

"It can't be." Another voice jumped into the conversation, and Blake almost jumped at the sound of Yang's voice. The girl had turned slightly and was facing the rest of them, while Ruby was still looking out for the grimm herself. "I mean-" She shrugged. "-Letting it just stay out here is dangerous, but bringing it towards the city would be more dangerous."

There was a long silence between them, and Blake was wondering what was going to be said next. There had to be some sort of refutation coming soon from Oobleck.

"I'm afraid Miss Xiao Long is correct." Oobleck said, turning so that he could begin to lead their way out of the area. None of the girls turned to follow, and for just a moment Blake felt something akin to solidarity amongst the four of them. It was something that they weren't going to be able to get past, but it was also something unifying.

Ruby finally dropped off of the rock, and she fell into line with the rest of them. She was still looking back at the grimm over her shoulder, and it was enough to make Blake follow her instincts and look back at the grimm for herself.

There it was, still lingering over the landscape and waiting for something to happen.

Whatever that thing was going to end up being, Blake was afraid for it. Just the same as everyone else, Blake had learned about these beasts according to myths and pure word of mouth. The things that had happened before the change were still talked about but mostly went forgotten. Either way, there were still some universal truths.

For something to draw a grimm in of that size, there would have to be some sort of devastation that would be enough to affect a large number of people. It would have to shock at least a village, and it would have to take something akin to the razing of a village to make it all work.

And oh, Blake would never stop fearing what could happen to make things fall apart in that way.

"Its for the best that we begin the trip back to Beacon," Doctor Oobleck said, bringing his voice up enough that it was going to be able to draw the attention of all four girls onto him for the time being. "I"m sure that your families will be missing you, and it's best that the four of you don't miss too many classes on my behalf."

Blake wished that she could genuinely pretend that missing classes was something that she was deeply worried about, but she also figured that it was for the best if she didn't let herself stay back and hold them up.

"Right." Blake said, letting out a quiet sigh and feeling for her weapon at her back. IT was still there, still sharp, and still waiting for her to bring it into conflict. Even though they hadn't run into any sort of threat on this mission that they would face directly, Blake was still worried for what was to come.

Adam still managed to hide behind every tree.

She wouldn't let the others know about the fact that she couldn't ignore it. They didn't know who she was, or what she was doing at Beacon. The others didn't know anything about her, and that was safe.

She liked it better that way.

Once all of them agreed that it was for the best if they began the journey back to Beacon, they began the walk. Blake was mostly content to fall in towards the back, and found herself walking alongside Yang, who seemed to be content to enjoy the trip back to the academy as some sort of nature walk.

A voice in the back of Blake's head cried naive.


	18. Arrivals and Departures

The world spun by, almost too fast for Hazel to keep track of, despite the fact that there was nothing out of the ordinary to keep track of. Animals moved through the forests, the sun set over the land, and the crackle of fire in the center of their camp had managed to become one of the few things that Hazel was able to truly focus on.

He was tired, so tired that Hazel was sure that he could have managed to sleep anywhere, though he didn't let it show. The scent of smoke left him feeling as though he'd been burned, and only managed to drag up a thousand memories that Hazel had learned were best kept hidden long ago. It exhausted him further, but he said nothing to his companions with regard to that issue.

For that reason, he had decided that it was for the best for him to take the patrol before the four of them would go searching for whatever it was that Tyrian thought was out there in the forest later that night. Hazel wasn't expecting that he was going to find anything out there, but still he had to do something to try and find out what was there to threaten them.

As it turned out, all that seemed to be out there in the forest seemed to be deer, based on the dung that Hazel had seen off of one of the pathways. Deer, bugs, birds, and nothing else of interest. Perhaps rabbits.

There were other reasons that he was taking his time before returning back to the camp though, Hazel knew. It was the burning that was spreading across him and emanating from his center. It was the possibility that he would find himself standing face to face with something from his past that he'd been sure he had lost forever.

No matter how many times Hazel told himself there were no major obstacles, things always came creeping back to him. His past was something that he could never face directly.

And now he was waiting for the chance for that to happen, and a part of Hazel was _afraid_.

It was just the fire, Hazel told himself as he turned back towards the pathway so that they could begin their search for the night. He needed to get back to camp sometime.

If Tyrian _had_ been telling the truth, then punctuality was sure to be key.

Because of that little detail alone, Hazel resigned himself to the reality of his situation that dictated that it was for the best that he return to the camp and collect his teammates so that they could begin the search for their target.

Hazel felt like he had to ball his nerves and all of his feelings up into one great ball of tension and shove it into a bag in hopes that it would be enough to assuage his worries. Once he felt like he had a good enough handle on himself, Hazel made his way down the trail back to camp so that he could collect the others.

Almost predictably, Tyrian, Watts, and Cinder were gathered around the fire and seemed to be sharing some sort of food that had been collected when they'd been in the village. The thought of food made Hazel almost feel like something was twisting in his stomach, but for now he could ignore it.

If they could manage to find the spawning pool that night, then Hazel fully suspected that things would get a little bit easier on them from there on out. At least, that was the theory that he decided he wanted to work with for the time being.

Hazel didn't have to do anything to announce his presence to the others. The crack of a twig under his boot was all that ended up being needed to tip the others off of to the fact that he was there. All of their heads seemed to snap over to them and Hazel gave them just a nod of acknowledgement before approaching the fire.

"The area is secure." Hazel muttered, raising one hand to the fire to warm his skin for just a moment. "Almost sundown."

"Yes." Arthur responded, rolling his eyes in irritation. "I suppose that means that we should begin looking, shouldn't we?"

"Yes." Hazel mumbled, nodding along with his confirmation. "Tyrian, lead us."

It was the only order that had needed to be passed down. The man scrambled up to his feet, and stretched just slightly. The man's tail uncurled itself from around him, and Hazel just waited. The others got up as well, and it was only once they had all four of them ready that their journey began.

A quick glance over at Watts out of the corner of Hazel's eye was enough to assure Hazel that the four of them weren't going to be going into this without any sort of defending themselves if things went south.

Watts stared back at him, and Hazel glanced over at Cinder and Tyrian before finally speaking again. "Be ready."

"I could say the same to you, Hazel." Watts replied, his voice as barbed as it always was. "It has been some time."

"It has." Hazel sighed, remembering a day many years ago when he'd been in a place much like this one. Oh, how things had changed over the last decade or so. It somehow managed to feel like Watts was the only thing that hadn't, but Hazel knew that was a lie for a fact. "Nervous?"

"A little." Watts said, brushing the conversation off as easily as he could before beginning to follow after Tyrian closely. Hazel was sure to join him, and then the four of them were travelling further and further into the forest.

Hazel did the same, and he did his best to keep his head as clear as he could manage as the group wandered further and further off of the paths. Tyrian's leadership was never guaranteed to be anything even close to workable on the average day.

The further that they got off of the path that they'd started on, the more that Hazel found himself worrying. The disappearance of any good walking area was a problem in itself, and Hazel felt the undeniable urge to check the ground for traps just in case. This had to have been someone's hunting grounds once in the past, and if his theory was right, then this land would have once been crawling with Grimm.

If it had been a place for grimm before, then Hazel was sure that it had to still have some sort of link to that from the past.

And most importantly, nothing came from nothing. That was something that Hazel genuinely felt confident in. Grimm were no exception to that rule.

Tyrian stopped suddenly, turning about in the clearing and reaching out with an open hand like he thought that he was going to brush up against something at any moment. Hazel felt his heart begin to beat just a little bit harder in his chest because of it. If Tyrian was starting to act so weird, he was either sure that he was remembering something, or they were lost.

"Insect." Watts spoke up and his voice was even harder and less forgiving than normal. "Where are we?"

"She-" Tyrian began to speak. It sounded like he was trying to gasp some words out that weren't making their way out in any way that was relatively intelligible. "Here, She should be here!" Tyrian whorled back, turning to face the rest of them.

Anything that Hazel had been feeling that had been even akin to excitement began to drain out of him all at once. It seemed that this was turning up to be nothing more than a mistake, them chasing yet another story that didn't have any basis in reality.

If it had felt like they were able to turn their back on those sorts of stories, then Hazel would have been a much happier man. Regardless, nothing had come up that suggested that they were able to drop those theories.

"It appears that you've failed us yet again." Watts replied, sneering at Tyrian and his hand moving to the weapon that was resting at his hip. That set of an alarm in Hazel's head.

"We should wait." Hazel suggested, feeling that shot of pain that was working its way through his chest once more. It was harsher than earlier, and so that to Hazel meant something. "It doesn't seem we were given an exact time."

"Very well." Watts said, grimacing. "I'll give us until midnight."

As much as Hazel didn't want to admit to it, that was about all that they could have hoped for. They could sit there until midnight, and if something happened, then they were going to be able to ahead and do whatever they needed to make sure that things were in order.

Hazel cast a quick glance around the clearing where they were allegedly going to be able to have some sort of spiritual encounter and his eyes fell on a fallen log. It wasn't much, but it was going to be a place where he could sit there for a little while and wait. At least that way he wouldn't get tired by just sitting there.

The situation could have been better. Hazel let his eyes slip shut and rubbed at the old scarring that spiderwebbed its way across his chest to try and banish the pain away from him.

It was time for a wait.

-

Ruby's feet were positively aching. She was tired, and she was really looking forward to the chance for a proper dinner and the chance to go to bed. Of course, the dorm at Beacon Academy wasn't as good as the bed at her dad's house was, but sleep sounded amazing.

Among the most welcoming sights that Ruby had ever managed to see was the peak of the Vale city gate through the trees. There was a bright light shining on it, and it was the sight of green and silver paint that made Ruby's heart jump in her chest.

"There it is!" Ruby exclaimed, falling into a half-jog forward as she got a little bit closer to the gates. "Guys, c'mon!"

"Ruby." Yang complained, still keeping her normal pace and walking with her hands laced together behind her bed. "C'mon, it's late. I"m tired. "

Blake didn't say anything, instead she just rolled her eyes. Ruby wished that she was surprised by that, but if there was anything that she had managed to learn since meeting Blake it was that Blake didn't really do excitement. Or happiness. In fact, she was actually kind of mean in her own way.

As for Weiss, well Ruby was still doing her best to figure out the other girl.

And now as the Schnee Heiress stopped on the pathway to Vale, hanging back at a relatively comfortable distance that she seemed to think was going to be able to solve some of her problems, Ruby wondered. Ever since she'd met the girl she'd thought that there was always something a little bit wrong, but Ruby had never been able to really figure out what that thing was.

And because of that, Ruby stopped. She slowed herself to a jog and then to a stop after that before turning halfway so that she could look back at her last teammate.

"Weiss?"

Weiss snapped her head over to Ruby, her gaze having been formerly transfixed on the city gate. "Yes?"

"Are you.. uh, Is everything okay?"

Weiss blinked and let out a quiet sigh before nodding. "I'm fine. Just... trying to take things in."

"Right." Ruby said, dropping back so that she was walking alongside Weiss and falling into step with her. "I guess you've never been through the gates going in before, huh?"

"I haven't." Weiss replied, and Ruby could have sworn that she'd seen Weiss' face turn to stone all at once. "It isn't a big deal."

"Yeah, if you say so." Ruby shrugged and only began to walk again once it was clear that Weiss was going to start walking again soon. Ruby fell in beside her easily enough, and matching pace with the heiress was easy enough. "What do you want to do once we get back to the room?"

There was a flash of disbelief that flickered over Weiss' face, and it left Ruby feeling a little bit worried and even sick to her stomach when she realized what was wrong. Weiss had never really done anything to blend in with the rest of their team as far as the teammate stuff went. Neither had Blake, for that matter.

A quick glance over at Yang left Ruby wondering how much the four of them were going to be able to be a team when half of them didn't seem to want anything to do with the rest of them. Ruby and Yang had the benefit of already being sisters, but Weiss and Blake...

They didn't have that.

Ruby didn't like how long it took for her to realize that.

"I just..." Ruby shrugged, trying to brush the awkwardness off as easily as she could. "I was just wondering if you were going straight to bed or if you wanted to get food first?"

Weiss stared at her now, and for the first time Ruby really got a good look at the scar that was still healing around Weiss' eye. She hadn't ever asked where it had come from, and it was clearly recent, but Ruby was curious. Maybe she'd get a chance to ask about it sometime. Maybe Weiss would have a story for her like her dad's story about why he had burn scars coming from one of his tattoos.

"I... hadn't really thought about it." Weiss admitted, holding her head high. "I was mostly just hoping to get a chance for a hot shower."

"Oh." Ruby said, feeling slightly dejected. "That's cool. Do you think they're going to make us go to classes tomorrow?"

"I don't know, Ruby." Weiss sighed heavily as she walked, tipping her head down just slightly in a way that still managed to make her look regal. "We should try to be ready for it either way."

"Yeah, you're right." Ruby said with a shrug. A quick glance up at the sign made Ruby's heart stop as the entrance of the city came into view. Standing there at the sign, leaned up against one of the posts and laughing and talking, were her dad and Uncle Qrow.

They had waited to make sure that they got to see her and Yang when they got back.

"Oh!" Ruby turned just slightly to face her older sister, even though it took a little bit of craning her neck so that she could look back at Yang over her shoulder. "Yang, look!"

Yang picked her head up and gave Ruby a confused look before looking forward and seeing the two men standing there at the gate waiting for them. Her face lit up, and Ruby found herself practically bouncing in her step as she walked a little bit faster and faster to get to the city.

If the circumstances had been different, Ruby was sure that she would have been breaking into some sort of footrace against Yang to get to their family first like they would have done when they were little kids. But they were going to do that, Ruby knew, if only because to do that when they had Weiss, Blake, _and_ Doctor Oobleck there would have been a little rude.

Maybe the polite thing would have been to drop back and to try and continue her conversation with Weiss, or maybe she should have tried to talk to Blake a little bit and tried to figure the other girl out.

But Ruby couldn't. She was just excited to be home because if Uncle Qrow and her dad were there waiting by the city gates for her and Yang, then Ruby was sure that they had to have some good reason for it. Whatever it was, she couldn't wait to find out.

Ruby practically skipped down the path to the city gates, and her general feelings of excitement meant that she didn't start feeling bad or worrying about things too much.

Eventually, they would reach the gates.

Ruby managed to catch the exchange of a few glares from her dad and Qrow that were very clearly directed towards Doctor Oobleck, and decided quickly that she had no interest in finding out what that was all about.

"Welcome back, girls!" Her dad exclaimed, smiling brightly. For the first time, Ruby realized that he was carrying a red leash, and Zwei was sitting there by her dad's leg waiting for them too. The little dog was shifting about and practically hopping in his place as he waited for Ruby and Yang.

"Dad!" Ruby called, practically flinging herself at her father and sinking into his warmth when he hugged her close before releasing her. Yang was next to hug her dad, and while that happened, Qrow was making his way over to them as stoic as ever.

Blake and Weiss decided to hang back with Doctor Oobleck, and Ruby felt the stir of definite guilt in her stomach at the realization that this was probably making things incredibly awkward for them. It wasn't fair to them to get left out in the cold when they got home.

But Ruby didn't want to make things worse by bringing it up. And how was she supposed to be able to forget about her family?

It just wasn't comfortable.

"How're you kids doing?" Qrow asked, looking among all four of them. "Kill anything cool?"

"We're fine." Ruby said, smiling widely up at her uncle as she finally dropped back in next to Weiss and Blake. "We didn't get to kill anything but-"

"The mission was a success." Blake deadpanned, casting a wary eye in Zwei's direction. "That's all."

"Not bad." Qrow replied, putting on an expression that Ruby recognized as his 'impressed' face. "We were worrying about you kids."

"Aww." Ruby looked away, feeling her face heat up in embarrassment over it. "Uncle Qrow-"

"C'mon." Qrow laughed. "Your dad decided to force me into cooking dinner with him tonight so that we could treat you kids when you got back."

"You made us dinner?" Yang asked, looking between the two of them with some surprise. "You know you didn't have to."

"Nonsense!" Their dad said, laughing. "We only wanted to make sure that you girls felt great when you got back here. It's chicken, with veggies." His voice trailed off for just a moment before he put on a brighter smile than normal. "And we made sure to get you guys some cake with strawberries for dessert."

It sounded wonderful, Ruby thought to herself. She shifted slightly to cast a look over at Weiss and Blake who took a moment to exchange a glance that Ruby could only really describe as being frosty. Worry stirred in the pit of her stomach, but Ruby didn't dare bring it up.

"Dinner sound good?" She asked finally, meek. Her eyes flicked over to her dad before back to them. "I think he's inviting us to the house before he drops us off at Beacon for tonight."

Blake and Weiss looked at each other, and finally Weiss sighed. "Dinner does sound good." She said, and Ruby worried for a moment that maybe there was some hesitation in her voice. It it was, Ruby didn't know what it was all about and she couldn't help but to worry about it all. "I wouldn't mind."

Blake however, seemed to take a little bit longer to figure out how she felt about it all. Surprisingly, it was Blake and Qrow stepping in next to each other and whispering something back and forth that made a decision get reached. "Dinner sounds good." Blake finally said. "Just keep the dog away from me."

Ruby raised an eyebrow and glanced over to Zwei, who was happily standing up on his hind legs next to Yang. It was weird, because everyone loved Zwei eventually, but Ruby decided not to comment on it.

Her Dad had picked up on everything though, and he was smiling brightly and looking so excited by the prospect of the whole thing. "Sounds good!" He exclaimed excitedly before looking back at Doctor Oobleck. "You want to join us, Bart?"

"I wouldn't mind." The professor said with a smile, and with that they began the walk back to the house so that they could share their dinner. Ruby was happy to walk next to Uncle Qrow, but once in awhile she would catch a glance at Weiss or Blake out of the corner of her eye.

Neither of them looked all that comfortable with how things were going, but soon they were on their way inside of the building and they were making their way to the dining room which had already been set up with enough room for close to ten people.

Ruby didn't think that there was anyone else invited, but she was happy to be there anyways. The house smelled like food, and she was happy to take her normal seat and was surprised when Weiss slid in beside her, looking all too nervous. 

Blake was hanging back for the little while, and Ruby didn't want to read into it too much. SHe was nervous, and it only served to remind Ruby of how awkward Blake had been on that first night that they'd shared a dorm. The way that giving Blake cookies had gone had been awkward in its own way.

Yang took her normal seat, and smiled widely before leaning back and making herself more comfortable. Ruby smiled across at her sister, feeling a slight well of pride in her chest over how their mission had managed to go.

The fact that they were able to come home for a good meal was more than Ruby could have ever imagined coming up for them.

"So," Ruby's dad started with the slight raise of his voice as he made himself comfortable and leaned back in his seat. "Tell me about the mission girls. I'm sure it was interesting."

Ruby blinked and looked down the line at her teammates, wondering what she could really say about the mission itself. It had been fun, in its own way. really the most interesting things that she had that she could share were the things that Doctor Oobleck had told her and talk about the grimm they'd been going to see.

"It was fun, I guess." Yang said with a shrug. "It was a nice trip, being outside the city like that."

"You kids see the grimm?" Qrow asked, leaning against the refrigerator and making himself too comfortable as the Xiao Long-Roses made themselves comfortable in their seats. Blake had finally taken a seat, but she and Weiss were still awkwardly going about things. Ruby felt a slight pang of guilt over it, unsure as to what was wrong for the other two girls' situations.

Even after a mission, they hadn't really managed to bond all that much.

"We did." Blake said calmly with a slight shrug. "It was impressive."

"Good." Qrow said, smiling and looking over at Taiyang. "We ever see anything that big when we were their age?"

"I seriously doubt it." Taiyang laughed, all too happily before turning his eyes on the girls. Ruby found herself sitting up a little bit more straight and trying to get her father's attention, even if she knew that it probably wouldn't do much. She didn't know what she was supposed to even say, but being close to her family for then was too nice. Her dad looked between her and Yang with a softness on his face before letting out a sigh that sounded a little too heavy. "We're proud of you girls," He said calmly. "All of you."

"With all due respect-" For the first time Weiss took the chance to speak up, and everyone stared over at her in some surprise over it. "You don't even know us." Weiss looked awkward, and nervous, in ways that Ruby wasn't used to seeing.

Taiyang blinked, and he glanced over at Qrow before shrugging. "Well," He began quietly as he turned towards the stove to check how the food was cooking there. "I know for a fact that your teammates end up like family. I figure there's no harm in treating you two like family now." He paused for a long moment and looked back over his shoulder at the four of them, smiling softly. "Besides-" he began calmly. "I"m sure that this is all taking some getting used to. Moving into dorms and joining a team is a big deal."

"So we're doing what we can to smooth the transition." Qrow supplied, smiling in his own way and continuing to lean back against the fridge. "Hopefully dinner will help with that."

"I'm starving." Ruby commented, sitting up slightly and leaning forward in her seat. "When's dinner going to be done?"

"Soon!" Taiyang laughed, turning to face them again. "Why don't the four of you go and enjoy yourselves while we do the boring adult stuff in here."

Ruby blinked, feeling a little bit unsure because she really didn't know what she could do with her new teammates when she barely felt like she knew any of them aside from Yang. But, getting away from the kitchen for a while probably wouldn't hurt too much.

She shifted in her seat and looked over at Yang. "Wanna show them around?"

"Yeah-" Yang said, shrugging before she finally got up and out of her seat. "I guess that it wouldn't hurt too much to give them the grand tour."

That was really about all that they could have hoped for. So because of that, they got up and Ruby felt her heart skip a beat when Blake and Weiss actually got up and decided to join them for a walk around the house, with Zwei following after them all too happily the entire way.

Really, it was about all that she could have ever hoped for.


	19. Black and Whites

" _Where is my daughter?"_ Jacques spat the words out and slammed his open palms down on the desk that sat between the two of them.

James didn't dare allow himself to move or try to intervene in the situation. Jacques Schnee was there, he was angry, and all that James could do was his best to manage to deflect it if possible, and keep it from getting too out of hand.

For that reason, James kept his expression as steely as he could manage before beginning to explain the situation with regards to Weiss Schnee's situation as best as he understood.

"To my knowledge," James began, keeping his voice as even as he could possibly manage for the little while that they were going to be meeting. "Your daughter is still off on a mission outside of the city with a group of other students."

Even despite how cold Jacques' eyes managed to look, James couldn't help but notice the way that they appeared to be on fire. There was rage radiating throughout every part of his body, and for a moment James found himself beyond grateful that there was not only a desk between the two of them, but also that Jacques had no training as a huntsman. James seriously doubted that he would need to come to blows with the other man, but every upper hand he could get was a good one.

Although, if it came to blows James would have to be sure to keep himself from lashing out with his right side. The last thing either of them needed to deal with was a corpse.

"James-" Jacques began to speak, his voice dripping with venom as he forced himself to lean in a little bit more in an attempt to make himself as physically intimidating as he could possibly manage. "You know that I am supposed to be returning to Atlas _tonight_."

It was one of those unavoidable issues, James knew, but he couldn't do much other than stand there and wait for something that he could say that would actually manage to be fairly opportune for them. "Jacques," James said, knowing that it was coming out in a way that only managed to make him sound deeply annoyed in a way that was almost like that of a younger brother that was frustrated with his older sibling. "I can't do anything to return her to Vale as things are. What missions are sent out on account of Beacon Academy are officially outside of my jurisdiction."

"You are one of the most powerful people in the world, General!" Jacques exclaimed, pointing a finger at James. "You of all people should be intervening to get me my daughter back so that I can return to Atlas with her rather than let her stay here!"

James frowned and let out a quiet sigh, finally deciding that it was for the best if he began to impose himself on some level physically. Hopefully he wasn't going to have to go ahead and bring out the more serious guns for the purposes of dealing with Jacques, but for now James was going to do whatever he needed to do in order to make things work out.

"Outside of my jurisdiction means that I have no place intervening." James explained, keeping his voice and his expression as cold as possible. "And I can't help but have serious doubts about your desire to return to Atlas with your daughter."

"She is my _heir_!" Jacques exclaimed, and James did his best to ignore the feeling in the pit of his stomach that felt like it was trying to turn itself inside out for whatever reason. One thing at a time, James told himself as he stood there on the other side of the desk and always in opposition to Jacques. "I can't return with my heir _missing_!"

James frowned a let out a quiet sigh as he tried to collect his thoughts. "I was under the impression that your heir was going to be your son."

"He definitely will be, now!" Jacques answered, seemingly without thinking about it at all. James wanted to take advantage of the situation, to treat it was some sort of checkmate, but he ultimately couldn't justify it to himself to do that. "But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to bring my daughter home so that she can be punished for running off in the way that she has!"

The Schnee patriarch was all but screeching at that point, and James did his best to ignore it so that he couldn't get too worked up or worried about his tone. So many years spent as a professional meant that James could deal with just about anything- ranging from dangerous grimm to people that didn't have any place where they were. Surely a surly businessman was nothing compared to some of the threats that James had faced in his youth.

And so James found himself tempted to use the only speaking point that he could think of.

"Jacques-" He began, his voice even. "Your daughter is of the age of majority and is thus able to make her own decisions with regards to her own life." It definitely wasn't what Jacques wanted to hear, but James didn't care so much about that fact. "If you have such a problem with regards to what she has chosen to do with her life, then I would recommend bringing it up with your daughter directly."

The man stood there, his eyes still blazing. He let out a sound of deep annoyance and stepped back after a long moment before letting his hands laced together behind his back and turning to face the window. Jacques stalked towards the window and stared out at it. "You know that I must leave soon."

"I do."James confirmed, deciding that it was for the best that he give the other man the space that he needed to be able to do whatever he needed to do. "I can't do anything about your daughter being outside of Vale, you know that."

"I won't be able to speak to her and bring her home if I'm never going to have a chance to see her before I leave."

James nodded, since he figured that this was about what he had to expect out of Jacques. "You are a powerful man yourself," James stated, although he was mentally amending the statements with some choice words of his own. "Surely you would be able to delay your departure until she returns if it is such a concern to you."

"It is!" Jacques shouted, turning to face James again. James didn't shift or let himself move, for the sake of his own sanity at that point.

"If that is the case-" James began calmly. "Then I would recommend using some of that power of yours to be the master of your own destiny, Jacques."

It was exactly what Jacques wasn't going to want to hear, James knew, but he didn't particularly care for that matter. It wasn't what was important to him in that moment. All that really mattered to James was that he was able to continue any intervention in order to keep the relative peace at the academy.

Even as Jacques Schnee left his office, James found himself worrying more and more for the fact that he was going to have to worry about the outcome of the political side of everything that was going on. No matter what, and no matter how James felt about it, he knew that it was impossible to ignore that there was a contract that had yet to be signed.

One that had the power to change the balance of the world, at least in theory.

* * *

Midnight came, but it was the only thing that came.

Tired and dejected, the four of them had returned to their campsite in the hopes that they could get some rest, regroup, and then come morning any bones to pick would be able to be dealt with swiftly and as harshly as they needed to be. At least, that was the way that Watts was making it sound.

When Cinder had gone to bed, it had been in her warm bedroll. Her body had been aching, she had been feeling somewhat disoriented because of her eye, and her vocal cords had been burning from the little talking that she'd had to do that day.

When Cinder awoke, it was in a ripple.

She felt like she was floating, like something cold and wet had managed to surround her and wrap itself up around her entire body without relent. It felt too thick to be water, and when Cinder dared to try and make herself move, she only found that she felt sluggish and too heavy.

Cinder forced her eyes open, and found herself staring up at a black, starless sky.

And there, hanging directly over them was a moon that was cracked, with what looked like a red light filling in the spaces between them. Cinder realized then that she didn't know whether or not she was managing to take part in reality, or whether this was another dream-vision along the same lines of the ones that she'd experienced before.

"Hello?" She asked, straining her vocal cords to make enough noise that someone else would be able to hear her.

"Get up," A voice said. It took next to no time at all for Cinder to realize that the voice was distinctly feminine.

Slowly she began to force herself to move. The black sludge that surrounded her disturbed and rippled with her movements, and when Cinder finally sat up she stared down at the liquid surrounding her.

It looked like something from a dream. When Cinder dared rest a hand on the liquid, she found that it almost felt like it was burning and that the liquid began to shift and move, like it was trying to force its way up her body and seep into her pores. It was like it was _alive_.

Cinder looked up, seeking someone else's presence to make everything make at least a little bit more sense than it was.

Already Cinder was having rather serious doubts that making any of this make sense was going to be incredibly difficult.

Her three teammates were already up, all standing and facing away from her and from each other. Watts faced towards the North, Tyrian faced the West, and Hazel was facing the South. It already left Cinder wondering what her place among them was, if they had only left the East for her.

"What-" Cinder forced herself to her feet, and she felt the liquid shift around her body. When she looked between her three teammates, she saw that some of them appeared to be cloaked in the sludge. It was dripping down Arthur's back, starting at the back of his neck, and it seemed to have completely soaked Tyrian's arms and dripped down off of them.

If it was on Hazel's body, then Cinder wasn't in a position to be able to see it.

None of them acknowledged the fact that she was there.

Cinder felt her heartbeat spike in her chest, and she couldn't think of any way to make all of this make sense to her. She was afraid, and yet the voice was there, pulling her gently away from where she was standing.

"Cinder," The voice said, soft and comforting as it had ever been. For a moment Cinder couldn't help but think that there was something about the voice that felt too similar. There was a gentleness about it that she wasn't going to be able to ignore. "Come, my child."

Cinder wanted to listen, to follow after. She turned and looked for a source, a woman to be speaking to her.

Exactly like in her dreams, the liquid began to disturb and form into another body. Unlike her first dream, what it formed didn't look like a clone of herself. Instead, the woman that formed there was taller than her, almost amazonian and holding her head high.

The woman had no hair. Her eyes were mismatched, one a burning red and the other a shade of orange that Cinder was almost able to recognize, but the horror that bubbled up in her chest over that realization kept Cinder from thinking about it too much.

The woman smiled at her, a gesture of kindness stretching across a heart shaped face. When she moved, it was fluid, like she was made of water. She didn't seem to make any steps, and when Cinder allowed herself to glance down she realized that the water seemed to shift and move around the woman she she advanced.

"Cinder." The woman said with a velvety dark voice. "You came for me."

Cinder nodded, and when she opened her mouth to attempt to speak the words caught in her throat so that she couldn't get them out. Her mouth opened and Cinder found it only getting hard to speak. "I-"

"You did." The woman confirmed, smiling at her and reaching out to offer her touch. "Thank you for coming."

Cinder nodded and cast a glance around her, realizing that this was certainly the same place where they'd gone to sleep. The sludge had seemed to creep its way up onto the trees so that it covered everything.

"It's-"

"No problem?" The woman said, almost playfully. "You have still done me a great service, Cinder."

Cinder nodded, and watched as the woman moved around her. It was almost like she was doing her best to walk around her and see whether or not there was something of interest about her. Cinder felt like she was under some sort of microscope, and the woman's gaze was so heavy that it almost felt like she was about to collapse under it.

"I..."

"I know." The woman said, turning and shifting so that she stood in front of Cinder again. "You must be confused." With a careful, too-stable hand the woman reached out for Cinder's hair and brushed it aside.

Cinder could have sworn that she could hear the ends of her locks beginning to burn, but she didn't dare focus on it for too long. Unable to think of anything, Cinder nodded slowly and was shocked when she began to feel cool liquid beginning to flow down her face.

There was an ache that was beginning to form behind her eye, and it was enough to make Cinder want to cry.

"Tell me Cinder," The woman said quietly, not giving her a chance to say anything. "What do you want?"

Cinder opened her mouth to answer, and wasn't able to get the syllables out. But that didn't matter, because the woman smiled at her and nodded in understanding, as though everything was somehow managing to come together and make sense to her regardless of what actually made it out loud.

The woman stepped in again and reached for Cinder, gesturing with an open hand for Cinder to lift her head up and let the two of their eyes meet. Cinder obeyed, and the woman smiled once more.

Despite it all, there managed to be something incredibly terrifying about her, but also something incredibly beautiful about her.

Cinder found herself in awe.

The woman brushed a careful thumb over Cinder's brow and let her hand stray down to hold Cinder's right hand. Slowly, she let her thumb travel over Cinder's knuckles.

"I understand." The woman said quietly. "Do go back to sleep, my child. You'll need your strength."

Entranced, Cinder simply nodded and let her hand drop to her side. The world seemed to shift and shimmer around her before turning all but entirely to black.

All that Cinder found herself left with was the quiet whisper in her ear where the woman's voice echoed over and over. Always the same words, until Cinder finally drifted back off to sleep and into nothingness once more.  
 _  
"You'll need your strength."_

* * *

The room that Weiss was learning to call home was surprisingly comfortable, even if it was far below what she was personally used to living with. The shared space was certainly something to get used to, especially when it was so small when placed in comparison to the world that Weiss had once called home.

Dinner at the Xiao Long-Rose home had been pleasant, if a little more than awkward. Now it was a matter of being able to get some rest. But first, she decided that it was for the best if she spent some time poring over the notes that had been loaned out to Blake and herself to use.

Weiss supposed that thinking that she was going to be able to do that without too much interruption had been naive on her part. As a result, the four members of their currently unnamed team were sitting there on the floor of their shared room, each nestled in some blankets that they had taken from their own beds. She sat between Ruby and Blake, and Yang was lying on her stomach directly across from her.

"I don't think that I like this schedule." Weiss commented calmly, wiggling her pen between her fingers as she stared down at the sheet of paper that she'd been provided with regard to her classtimes. "The two hour grimm studies class seems excessive."

"Eh," Ruby said with a shrug. "Professor Port isn't that bad,and he's friends with our dad so if we ever need help we can ask for it whenever." Ruby was lying on her back, and had a schoolbook balanced on her stomach. "It's more interesting than it sounds."

Weiss hesitated, not sure about how to feel about what had just been said. She was sure that she was going to just have to wait until she knew what her regular schedule would actually feel like. There was a large part of Weiss that was largely concerned for whether she'd be behind the rest of her teammates at all. She'd never had the luxury of a formal hunter's education beyond what Winter could teach her and the occasional book.

"I see." Weiss said quietly, shifting slightly and tapping on the edge of her notebook as she thought hard. "And what about history?"

"Boring." Yang answered, staring down at something on her scroll in some interest. "It's with Doctor Oobleck, and he's a pretty good teacher." She shrugged. "I dunno, you've probably seen about everything that you need to of his classes on that mission."

Weiss nodded slowly and looked over at Blake. The girl was also leaned forward over a notebook, and she was drawing something in it that Weiss was almost interested to see. However, there was an all too obvious reminder of the fact that she had no place in Blake's life that Weiss wore on her face. There was an urge to reach up and touch the wound, but Weiss fought back against it for fear of what would happen if she did.

For instance, Weiss was all but certain that Blake would notice that she was checking in on the injury. There was also the fact that there had never been some sort of apology muttered, and at the very best Blake was frosty while managing to be downright hateful at her worst. Weiss was afraid for what could come of all of it. Knowing that the two of them were supposed to be teammates didn't manage to make Weiss feel any better about everything. In a way, it felt like they were already a lost cause because of her and Blake alone.

It was a good thing that Ruby and Yang were so close, Weiss supposed. At least between the two sisters they were going to have a guarantee that some of them could get along.

Weiss tore her thought away from it and stared down at the syllabus again, taking a moment to mark one of the time slots on it in light blue ink. "It says that we have scheduled combat classes every two days, and practice times on the days where we don't have classes." Weiss paused, curious about it and she looked between Ruby and Yang. "Is there some reason for that?"

"Beyond keeping us sharp?" Blake asked, rolling her eyes. It was the first time that she'd really spoken up in the time that the four of them had spent together there on the dorm room floor. "I doubt it."

"Well..." Ruby began, rolling so that she was lying on her stomach again and bracing herself against a pillow as she made herself a little bit more comfortable there. "I've seen some of the older teams trying to make good ways for them to attack in pairs." She shrugged and leaned back slightly. "I guess that we could try and use practice times for that sort of thing?"

Weiss blinked and nodded, taking down another note because it made complete sense for them to try and do that. There was a stir of something uncomfortable in the pit of her stomach, a reminder that she was sure to be behind all of her teammates in terms of skill level. She was sure that Blake would be unforgiving about it, but perhaps Ruby and Yang would be able to tolerate her lack of skill.

"I suppose." Weiss commented calmly. She looked over at Blake, wanting to ask some sort of question but finding herself unable to find it. Nothing was going to be enough to make the two of them really able to get along. She shook the thought from her head, but knew that she'd stared for a moment too long. "Then we'll have classes starting every day at nine in the morning. We're going to have to catch up, but-"

"We'll be fine!" Yang exclaimed, finally looking up from her scroll and smiling at all of them. "Most of the professors are pretty cool, and if there's something wrong then we're going to be able to get help anyways. Ozpin doesn't expel people unless they've done something super bad, and our dad and our uncle are both teachers. Not here, but they're teachers"

"Don't you think that relying on your family to get you something is a little underhanded?" Blake spoke up finally, and it was with the same deadpan and ushe would always use. However instead of looking at Yang or Ruby, Blake was staring straight ahead at Weiss.

A lifetime in the public eye meant that Weiss was able to recognize a hidden insult when she heard one.

Weiss stared Blake down and her eyes narrowed, but she didn't dare allow for herself to comment on the insult. She needed to say something, but she also needed to find a way to deflect everything away from herself as soon as possible. So she looked over at the sisters instead and finally spoke up.

"Blake is right," Weiss said, hating the way that the words burned on the tip of her tongue as she let them out. "We should try to do everything on our own before looking for or relying on help from anyone else."

Blake looked back over at her and for a moment Weiss was almost certain that she saw some sort of recognition or understand flit across the other girls' face. But even still, lying there just underneath there was hatred. Weiss tried not to think about it too much, since she could just as easily consider this in the same ways as how her family members tended to treat her.

"Eh, I guess you're right." Ruby said with a slight shrug before looking between all of her teammates. "Do you guys think that we should try and do something to become better friends or something?" She paused, looking between Weiss and Blake. "I mean, me and Yang are sisters but we've just met you guys."

Weiss hesitated before she let herself answer, feeling wholly unsure about what she could possibly say that would work. There were a lot of things that she didn't want to talk about, but if she was going to be staying at Beacon permanently, and Weiss certainly was dedicated to that, then she should go ahead and make sure to try and get close to the others.

"I guess that it wouldn't hurt." Weiss said quietly as she flipped her notebook closed so that she could focus. Her pen was stored away just as quickly, and then Weiss let herself lean back in her seat just slightly as she made herself more comfortable. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Uh..." Ruby began, hesitating for a moment and letting herself stare over at her sister looking for answers. Finally her gaze snapped back over to Weiss and Blake. "Where are you guys from?"

"Atlas." Weiss answered, sitting up straight again as though she was remembering herself. She was able to hear her father's reprimands in the back of her mind. She was sure that her mother would have been just as harsh about it. Propriety lay in proper posture. The best way to keep a good look in the public eye was through holding yourself like a piece of art. Weiss had learned that so long ago.

Blake took much longer to answer. Her grip tightened on her pen and she seemed to be thinking of a good answer that they could use. When she finally spoke up, her tone was so tight and she was so concentrated on a single spot on the carpet that it was like it held the secrets of the universe there alone. "I'm from outside the kingdoms." She explained herself, and that threw up some red flags in the back of Weiss' mind.

Outside the kingdoms could only surely mean a few things. It meant that Blake was either a wanderer or some sort of bandit, a _criminal_ , she was from an abandoned colony, or she was from Menagerie.

And Weiss didn't know which one of those possibilities was the worst, even if they weren't all necessarily on the same scale.

"Right." Yang spoke up, curring Weiss away from the train of thought that she'd been on. Weiss looked over at the blonde and watched the way that Yang and Ruby exchanged a fast smile. "Well, we're originally from Patch but our dad decided to move to Vale a couple of years ago."

"Yeah!" Ruby exclaimed. "Leaving the island wasn't fun but..."

Ruby and Yang exchanged an uneasy look.

"It was what we had to do." Yang finished, finally looking back over at Weiss and Blake. "Siblings?"

"No." Blake said in her typical deadpan. "Only child."

"I have two siblings." Weiss began, deciding that this was something that probably wasn't going going to get too uncomfortable. "My older sister is Winter, and I have a younger brother named Whitley." She shrugged. "I don't think that I'm going to be able to talk to them much anymore though."

For a moment Weiss realized that she should have stopped herself before she could have said anymore about the topic. She was sure that someone was going to go ahead and they were going to call her out and ask questions about her father's company. Or at the very least, she knew that she should have been expecting to be asked about why she wouldn't be able to talk to Whitley and Winter often.

Of course, Weiss didn't go ahead and say the truth, which was that she didn't much care for her brother, or that she didn't know where Winter was anymore. There wasn't any way that she could easily explain any of that.

"Cool." Ruby said, humming and pausing as she tried to think of another question to ask. Weiss found herself getting slightly more worried as it became more and more apparent to her that the questions might only manage to get more and more uncomfortable.

The fact that people hadn't really gone ahead to ask her questions about her family was already something that Weiss was worried about. Eventually things were going to turn to her grandfather's company, or their wealth, or whether or not they were going to be able to get free Dust.

Nothing was going to be able to salvage a conversation if that was where things went. Even if it did go there, Weiss didn't actually know whether she'd even be able to answer those questions. The reality of her situation wasn't beyond her. Weiss was already certain that her father had called his favorite lawyer and they were doing their best to write her out of his will, the same way that Weiss' mother and Winter had been.

Really, she had no idea what her life was going to look like moving forward. Of course, she could go back to Atlas with her father and hope that he didn't cut her out of the picture, but Weiss was sure that wouldn't be enough.

Maybe in that case the best thing that Weiss could do for herself was try and start conversation with the others and bring their attention to some other topic. The only problem is that if that was what she needed to do, Weiss didn't know what she could possibly say or do.

No matter what, at the end of the day, Weiss knew that she wasn't anything like the rest of them. Maybe someday she would know how to be like them but as things were...

Weiss didn't know whether she could be hopeful or not about the matter.

A quick glance over at the clock told Weiss that it was late. They'd gotten back to their building late to begin with, and they were going to have classes in the morning.

"I think that we should consider bed." Weiss said after some hesitation. "As nice as this has all been, we do have classes in the morning."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Ruby pouted, casting a glare in the direction of the clock. She forced herself upright, and Yang muttered some sort of complaint over it all before getting up as well.

Blake and Weiss found themselves getting up at around the same time, and Weiss tried hard to ignore it before making her way over to her bed. Weiss hesitated for a long moment before letting herself crawl in for a night of sleep.

A glance out the window showed that her father's airship was still there, waiting for the right time to leave.

Weiss felt her stomach flip uncomfortably at the revelation, and so she forced herself to face her teammates instead and forced the thought of her family away from her mind as quickly as she could manage.

It didn't work, and Weiss' night was spent all but sleepless.


	20. Water and Ichor

"So." Qrow said, leaning back against the windowsill by Ozpin's desk as he looked between the others in the room. It was yet another one of their normal morning meetings, all looking to discuss the grimm threat just outside of the city. The big difference was that this morning, Bartholomew Oobleck had been called up to join in on the meeting.

And really, that wasn't a big deal. Qrow was a little annoyed by it, but the guy was there for a reason. "What do we have that's new?"

"Not much, I'm afraid." Bart said quickly, between sips of coffee. "The grimm is indeed large, seemingly a member of the Minos family. Although, it is much larger than a King Minos-" He paused, reaching for a notebook that he kept stored away in his pocket before pulling it out and flipping it open to check his field notes for anything of interest. Qrow craned his neck slightly to try and see for himself, but wasn't able to make anything out in Bart's hurried scrawl.

Qrow paused and nodded along, thinking hard. "So how many do you think we'd need to send out to fight it-"

"Is moving forward in fighting it _truly_ the best course of action that we could take?" Glynda spoke up. She was leaning against the edge of Ozpin's desk and checking something on her scroll. "Nothing that we've seen from this particular grimm has indicated that it is a serious threat aside from its size. Which is concerning enough on its own."

"It doesn't matter if there's anything unique about it." James said, his voice hard and his expression a little too distant for Qrow's liking. " _Any_ grimm of that size is a threat and we must do something to _deal with it._ "

Ozpin was sitting there at their desk, silent and focused on their coffee. Once in awhile they would take a moment to shift some of the paperwork that was on their desk around like they thought they would find something to help there. Qrow looked over at them and raised an eyebrow, but they didn't look up at him. Qrow wanted to be bothered by it, but he couldn't quite bring himself to be.

"What do you think, Oz?" Qrow asked, since it was probably for the best that they actually have Ozpin involved with the conversation. "We could probably use your input."

For the first time that morning, Ozpin finally seemed to be paying attention to everything that was going on around them. Qrow couldn't help but think that they seemed to be a thousand miles away in that moment. It was too awkward, and Qrow didn't know what he could do to drag Ozpin back to them.

Ozpin looked amongst all of them, their expression as cold as it always was as they looked between all of them. The headmaster let out a quiet sigh and leaned forward so that they could brace themself against their desk. "The best course of action is for us to keep our distance from the grimm until it becomes necessary to intervene."

They looked over at James, and the General picked his head up so that he wasn't wrapped up with whatever was on his scroll anymore. James stowed the black scroll away in his pocket as he remembered himself. "Yes, Ozpin?"

"James," Ozpin began, their voice terrifyingly even and calm. "Will you be able to acquire specialists to aid in removing the threat if necessary?"

Qrow paused, because that wasn't the sort of question that would normally get asked. Normally Ozpin would go ahead and do everything on their own rather than looking to someone else for help. Qrow sincerely wanted to believe that this was just Ozpin reaching out to James in hopes that they would be able to smooth some of the awkwardness over.

A show of trust, and they all knew that was something that James would respond well to if it was given to him.

He looked between James and Ozpin, and watched the way that James' expression shifted slightly. He hesitated a long moment and then began to answer. "Specialists Schnee, Patina, and Claret are either within or near the kingdom and would be able to be contacted if the need came." James' eyes glazed over with that look that he always got that made Qrow suspect that James had a computer in his brain of some sort. "I would hope that it wouldn't come to that, though." James said, his expression going blank all at once.

"I just wanted to know that you would be able to get some sort of backup should we require it." Ozpin explained, their expression blank. "Which would you recommend for our purposes?"

"Specialist Schnee has always been exceptional in her skill level." James said, his eyes flickering over to the window so that he could search for something outside. Qrow had a feeling that he knew exactly what the man was thinking about.

The fact that the Schnee airship hadn't yet left had to be one of those things that was constantly on James' mind. Qrow hadn't bothered to ask James much about how his work was going, but Qrow had to guess it was going poorly based on James' nervousness. "She's the most well suited for a high level threat of this sort."

Qrow didn't say anything, since it definitely wasn't his place to go ahead and do so. this was strictly between James and Ozpin, even if Qrow was fairly certain that he was going to have a hand in whatever needed to be done later on down the line. If they sent a squad of students out into the field to fight the grimm, then Qrow was either going to be assigned to them or he was going to be sure to follow along after them anyways.

Ozpin nodded slowly, understanding and as calm as ever before finally responding. "If she is needed, then I'll be sure to alert you to that fact, James." They picked their head up and looked over at Oobleck and Glynda, hesitating for a moment before finally speaking again. "Can I trust that you two will be able to make sure that anyone we send into the field will be well-prepared?"

"Of course, Professor Ozpin." Glynda affirmed, standing there with her head held high and her expression as calm as ever. "I'll be doing combat classes for first and third years today, and second and fourth years tomorrow. I'll be sure to use them as a selection process for your team."

Ozpin nodded in understanding and looked over at Qrow. Based on everything that was going on so far, Qrow didn't actually know what he would be able to do other than keep an outside view. It wasn't as if students at Beacon weren't used to him dropping in whenever or wherever it suited him.

"What about me?" Qrow asked, picking the question up before Ozpin could get a chance to ask it. "I figure that whatever you want, it's going to be something complicated."

Ozpin smiled softly, and Qrow didn't mind it. He was in their good graces, and that was one of the things that he could always fall back on when things got hard. "Qrow-" Ozpin sighed, turning in their seat to face him. "I would like you to continue with your usual reconnaissance missions if you can. In addition, do your best to check in on Glynda's chosen students and see whether you think they are capable. I trust you."

It was just as expected. Qrow let a slow smile split his face and nodded. "Sounds good, Oz." He said calmly. "I'll be sure to get on that."

"Good." Ozpin got to their feet and looked between the others in the room. Their eyes lingered on James for a moment too long, and then they were all being sent off, with Ozpin quietly making the request that James stay behind so that they could speak further.

Qrow felt his stomach flip, but did his best to ignore the feeling for fear of what would happen if he tried to speak up on the topic. It wasn't a good idea, he knew that fully well.

So instead of leaving the normal way, Qrow found a window, muttered a goodbye over his shoulder, shifted into a crow, and flew off over the forests.

The morning came with all of the smoothness of rockfall. Hazel woke feeling like his entire body had been shattered over and over. His chest was aching, his head, hurt, and he felt like he had the worst hangover that he'd experienced in a _very_ long time.

Whether or not certain things had even happened the night before were up for debate in his mind.

He forced himself and forced himself to take a look around the campsite. All of the others were still asleep, and Hazel didn't want to dwell on that too much. They had to be alive at the very least, if the gentle rising and falling of their chests was any indicator. Whether or not there would be further damage to their bodies was something that was up for debate.

Hazel stood up, almost shaky, and looked down at himself. There was no stain of black on his clothing, nor was there red.

Maybe it had been a dream then.

The man took a moment to grab his jacket and pull it around himself before wandering away from the campsite in the hopes that he would be able to distract himself away from some of the things that were on his mind. There had been a stream nearby when Hazel had gone out on his patrols, and so that became his destination.

He walked into the forest and checked his pockets to ensure that he was still armed as he went further and further in. The Dust crystals he'd gotten days before sat heavy in his pockets, and that was the best reassurance that Hazel could have hoped for.

Slowly, as Hazel continued his trek and allowed himself to think on what he'd seen, the feel of Her hands, the sound of Her voice in his ear, some of his stress began to ebb away.

If the story that he had was consistent with whatever the others were going to be reporting, then perhaps that meant that they'd found their goal.

The only question was then what came after.

Sunlight was just beginning to glint through the trees, and its glare made Hazel's eyes ache. Soon enough he would start feeling like a normal person again, Hazel hoped. All of his problems would surely start to fade in time.

Hazel let his hand run over the bark of one of the trees, feeling it over for the cut that he'd made into it the day before. The X was there, jagged and raw and standing out too brightly against the rest of the tree. A landmark of his own choosing.

With that information in mind, Hazel was able to push his way through the underbrush and the sound of running water filled his mind.

Except what Hazel found there wasn't water.

Instead, it was a black sludge, much like Hazel had been sure that he'd been covered in the night before. It set off alarms in his head and Hazel knew then that he had to follow up on what he'd found.

Either this was a very good thing, or it was a very bad thing.

Old instincts that he'd picked up ages before told him that this was going to be _bad._

Hazel's current mission spoke exactly to the contrary to that thought.

He stopped at the edge of the ichor stream and lowered himself down to one knee before reaching down and letting the tips of his fingers brush over the liquid. It burned, and that was a good indicator that it was the real thing if there ever was one. Hazel stood up and quickly wiped any remnants away from his hand before beginning to follow the way upstream to see if he could find a source. Once he found that, Hazel was sure that he was going to be able to double back and see if there was a place where it was all collecting.

The good thing about it was that the walk wasn't a particularly hard one. If anything, it ended up feeling like a light walk where it if weren't for what he was doing, Hazel would have been able to relax. But with that bouncing around in the back of his mind and a whisper that made no sense to him echoing through his thoughts, that wasn't exactly possible.

Hazel might have hiked for half an hour before he finally found a starting point for the stream of black. It was pouring out of a crack in a rock cliff. Hazel didn't want to know what was on the other side of the wall, really, but it was good to have a place where they could go if the need arose.

A quick photo on his scroll was all that he needed before Hazel turned and began to follow the ichor back south.

When he reached the point where he'd started, Hazel decided to go back off towards their base camp in the hopes that he would be able to collect his teammates before moving on. Ideally they would all be there for whatever it was that they needed to do, and then after that they would see what happened.

The camp was at least awake when Hazel got there. Tyrian was up and balling his bedroll back up, looking a little bit more than just disheveled. Hazel supposed that it could have been much worse. Cinder was also up, but she was off to the side with Watts as the two of them did some sort of medical check.

"Up." Hazel announced his presence, and almost immediately Arthur had turned his eyes onto him with so much intensity that Hazel almost wanted to shrink back away from the other man.

Almost.

"Hazel-" Watts began, his tone sneering and almost angry. "For what reason would we have the pleasure of your presence?"

"Found something." Hazel said, deciding that it was for the best not to say too much, if only because he didn't want to have any part in starting a panic amongst their group. He crossed the camp and stopped at Arthur's side before offering his scroll and the photo on it.

Watts' eyes widened in understanding and he stared up at Hazel. The only response that Hazel was a nod before he turned his hand and offered a good look at his burnt fingers.

"We should go." Hazel said, as calm as he could. "As soon as you're ready."

"Understood." Arthur said calmly as he turned back to Cinder to mutter something.

Hazel slipped away to give the man some space before he began to pack his own things away. No matter what, Hazel was intending for them to be on the move that day instead of staying in one place that day. Surely if they had found what they were looking for, they weren't going to be staying long.

If this was in fact the thing that they were looking for, then Hazel didn't think it was a good idea for them to stick around and wait for something bad to happen.

Grimm were a pain to deal with even when they weren't the size of mountains. Granted, whatever pulled itself out of the Spawning Pool would be small and weak by comparison, but if they didn't have to risk things, then Hazel wasn't content to risk them.

Not when they had injured people in their group. Not when there were so many ways that things could go wrong for them.

It wasn't long at all before Cinder, Arthur, and Tyrian were all ready to go, and once their team had been collected Hazel began to lead their trek out into the forest.

"So." Arthur was the first member of their group to speak up, and Hazel only responded with a grunt to make it clear that he was actually listening along. "What made you find this anyways?"

"Wanted to stop by the stream and clean up." Hazel mumbled. "It was water last night."

"Was it, now?" Arthur hummed, interested and curious about what else there was that could come to the forefront. "So this is rather unusual."

"Yes." Hazel said, though he didn't actually think that he was managing to communicate anything that would be of much use in that moment. "Which is why it's for the best if we go ahead and do what we can to investigate it."

"I understood the point." Arthur retorted, already sounding bored. "How much of a walk was it upstream to find that?"

"Half hour." Hazel mumbled. "I haven't followed it upstream or downstream all the way yet." He reached out and pushed the bushes aside to finally give his teammates a view of what was on the other side of them.

There, just the same as it had been when Hazel had left it, was the black water.

The only difference was now it began to ripple slowly in the opposite direction of the flow of the liquid as they got closer. It was almost as though the black was somehow attracted to them.

Maybe it had been doing the same thing when Hazel had come there earlier, he though. But now it was different, and Hazel didn't know how to read into it.

Hazel supposed that there had to be something to it. There had to be some sort of magnetic force about the four of them that was changing how the world worked.

 _It could just be one of us_ , a voice in the back of Hazel's mind whispered, and he wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to listen to it or not. There were too many strange implications about what was happening already. They were dabbling with things beyond the realm of understanding of a normal man.

And down in the pit of his heart, Hazel knew that thinking about it in the terms of a situation where the black was drawn to only /one/ of them was too much. Somehow it diminished what they were capable.

He'd already been there.

The ichor hadn't moved for him alone.

"Hazel?" Arthur asked, turning to face him properly with his face so unamused that Hazel didn't know what he wanted to think of it. There had to be something to it, something dwelling in the back of Arthur's mind.

Hazel wondered whether the waters would move for Arthur alone.

"That's new." Hazel muttered, shoving his hands down into his pockets and letting his thumb rub over the hard stone of the Dust crystals there. For some reason, it didn't bring him any comfort to know that he was only seconds away from arming himself at any moment.

But Arthur stared him down, looking like he didn't believe a word that Hazel said, and Hazel wished that he could feel offense over that. It only made sense that Arthur didn't trust him when the two of them so rarely even bothered to make anything mutual aside from work.

"I see." He said, looking down the stream. Hazel let his gaze after Arthur's. He saw that Tyrian had moved up to the edge of the waters, and that he was kneeling down, reaching out like he was about to shove his hand into it.

Remembering what had happened when he'd touched it, Hazel took a few steps forward and grabbed Tyrian by the torn collar of his shirt to tug him back. "Don't touch." He ordered as he began to lead the expedition downstream until the three of them finally found something.

As much as he hated it, it only made too much sense when the four of them walked together in relative silence. Hazel figured that Arthur was doing his best to remember everything that they saw that day. Already Hazel was sure that they were going to eventually stop somewhere and search old legends for anything that could suggest what they were dealing with.

Spawning pools were already one of those few poorly understood things. There were stories and there were theories, but they were so plentiful in numbers that figuring out which ones were worth remembering was incredibly difficult.

The trek was hard, and Hazel allowed himself to drop back slightly for the sake of walking alongside Cinder before the girl could find herself getting left behind. He had his suspicions that Cinder's injuries hadn't yet healed fully, and pushing her wouldn't bring any good to them.

Finally, the landscape seemed to break apart.

There, standing in the centre of a large clearing was a pool of blackness, so deep that Hazel found it almost disorienting to look at it. One step in, and he was sure that someone would drown before they charred to death. It was an endless black, a void that seemed to be just waiting for something either fill it or emerge from it.

The water stopped moving the second that all four of them had made their way into the clearing and all of them were looking down at it.

"This-" Tyrian began, taking a shaky half-step towards the waters. "-This is what I-"

"Yes, we know." Arthur cut Tyrian off without much thought put into the action. "Have you ever seen one before?" He was staring at Hazel, and Hazel had to think for a long moment to think of an answer.

Somewhere, swimming in the back of his mind, Hazel could think of something like this.

But there were details that were wrong about it. What he'd seen before had been in extraordinary circumstances. He'd watched Dust turn to ichor in his hands. He'd felt it burn and slip away from him.

This was not like that, Hazel was sure of it. All that he had to do was check his pocket to be sure of it.

Hazel swallowed hard, and removed his hands from his pockets.

"Not like this." He finally said, quietly, pushing that old memory back in his mind. "It's completely different."

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"I can't explain it." Hazel finally clarified. "It's just different."

"Understood." Arthur muttered. "So do we stand by and wait?"

"I believe that it would please our Goddess-" Tyrian said, crouching down at the edge of the pool and reaching down for its waters again. Already Hazel could feel the urge to yell and force the man away from his quarry rising in his chest, but he decided against saying anything this time. Perhaps it was for the best to let the boy be burned for his own foolish mistakes.

Cinder stepped up to the side of the black sludge and looked down into it, and Hazel felt another nervous wave wash over him.

There was something down in the marrow of his bones that told him that they should have been running. It was an instinctual thing that he couldn't ignore, and yet he forced himself to ignore the thought. They needed to be there, regardless of what his years of training had told him. For now, they had to both embrace and ignore every old wive's tale and every legend they'd ever heard.

It was never going to be easy.

Tyrian reached into the water and let out a loud yelp, jumping back from it.

/Good/ a voice in the back of Hazel's mind whispered.

Cinder looked at him and Watts and she opened her mouth to say something.

"Yes?" Arthur asked, focusing all of his attention on the girl already and readying himself to listen to whatever she managed to gasp out. "What do you want?"

"We should stay." She said, and her eyes widened at the realization that the words had come out strong and _clear._

"When did you recover, girl?" Arthur sneered, already with something dangerous and angry glinting in his eyes. "You haven't spoken properly in days."

Cinder looked just as confused and Hazel felt, and so Hazel couldn't help but think that he had an idea.

He faced the girl properly and forced eye contact with her. "Did you see Her last night?"

Cinder blinked and hesitated before nodding slowly. "Yes."

Hazel looked at Arthur, waiting for him to say something. "And you?"

"Yes, of course." Arthur clicked his tongue along with the statement. "Of course I saw Her."

"That explains it." Hazel muttered. "This isn't logic that we're working with. She changes the rules, you _know_ that Arthur."

"Our Goddess changes rules?" Tyrian asked, finally forcing himself into the conversation. "What do you-"

Arthur snapped his attention to Tyrian and there was such great intensity written across his face that Hazel didn't want to intervene. A quick glance down at Tyrian's hand told him that the man was indeed burned from touching the blackness.

"She's a goddess, Beast." Arthur sneered. "It would do you some good to pay attention." His eyes snapped back over to Hazel. "And they say the Faunus have better hearing."

Hazel grimaced and balled his hands into fists out of pure annoyance, but said nothing. It wasn't worth it to engage with Arthur when they were on unfamiliar ground with unknown factors at play.

Tyrian was staring between the two of them with a look of hurt written clearly across his face. "But-"

"Tyrian." Hazel spoke up. "Gods work through the divine. She does not follow our rules."

That was enough. The thin man clamped his mouth shut and his eyes barely managed to focus on the ground in front of him. It was about the best that he could have hoped for, Hazel thought to himself.

"So we stay then." Cinder spoke up, seeming a little bit more confident than she had been earlier on. Whatever had given the girl her voice back, it was powerful.

Hazel had his suspicions, but didn't say anything on the matter because there was still so much that would need to be assessed before anything could be said with regard to the matter for sure.

"We don't know what's here." Hazel spoke up, swallowing. "Or what will be here."

"Hazel is correct." Arthur added. "Spawning pools bring grimm, and grimm bring trouble." The man's face split into a too devilish smile before he brought himself to continue. "I'm guessing that you've never faced the genuine thing in battle, have you girl?"

Cinder paused and her eyes narrowed. Hazel watcher her expression contort into anger, even if it seemed to be fairly painful to allow for that to happen. Clearly Arthur had managed to strike some sort of nerve, regardless of whether Cinder would openly acknowledge that or not.

"I thought as much." The thin man finished, deciding that he didn't want to give Cinder the chance to answer. "I propose that we maintain our camp, but make the trek to this location come nightfall. That way we won't be sleeping and can't be caught off guard."

"Agreed." Hazel growled. "In which case, we should return to camp and rest."

Arthur gave a look that managed to show nothing more than pure annoyance, and Hazel wished that there was something that was able to keep him from feeling annoyed by it himself. The fact was that they needed to go ahead and try to do something and fulfill their destiny.

Whatever that may be.

"If we're going to do this," Hazel continued, because it meant that he was going to be able to lead the way and he would be able to get them out to the camp. "Then we need to be sure to return to camp, but we also need to be sure that we have food for tonight."

Arthur sighed heavily and raised a hand to show that he was in fact relenting with regard to what they were doing. It could have been much worst, Hazel thought.

It was enough.

The four of them ended up staying there for another hour to investigate. Only then did they finally return to camp to rest.

When Hazel slept, he dreamed only of a scene somewhere in his back, when the world had begun to rot.


	21. Solidarity

It was halfway through their first proper full day of classes, and Blake was deeply annoyed with _everything_. There wasn't much that she actually had to do that day, and the team had more or less done nothing but class work that day. That didn't make it all feel any less frustrating, though.

The situation was so different from what she was used to that Blake couldn't help but feel almost disoriented. Staying in one place, with new people around every corner- that wasn't what she was used to. Blake couldn't remember a time in her life when she'd done that sort of thing, even back when she was a child.

All four of their team had decided to take a table near the door to the dining hall. Blake was sitting diagonal to Weiss, with Yang at her side and Ruby sitting directly across from her. She had a plate of food in front of her, but she hadn't managed to eat anything from it yet that day. Just a problem of nerves, and a constant feeling like she always needed to be checking the area for some sort of danger Blake couldn't quite name.

For the most part it was quiet. Once in awhile someone from another group or team would come over to where they were sitting. Blake was doing her best to ignore all of it.

"-really excited for later today." Ruby was chattering excitedly as she shifted around in her seat. "We have our first real day in the training rooms where we get to use them! I can't wait to see what it's like with all four of us fighting-"

"Yes." Blake sighed, since she wasn't going to be able to relax and had begun to give up on eating something. "It'll be interesting."

Yang stretches slightly. "We know how to use the simulators, so we should probably do that." She hesitated for a long moment and looked between Blake and Weiss. "Have either of you used simulations?"

"I can't say that I have." Weiss said, shifting in her seat and Blake was sure that the girl was trying to cross one leg over the other. "I suspect they won't be too difficult-"

"Nah," Ruby replied, smiling. "Yang chooses strong ones for us to use."

"Right." Blake sighed. "I've never used a simulation, but I've never had to use a simulation."

Ruby stared at her, and for a moment Blake couldn't help but think that there somehow managed to be stars in Ruby's eyes over the whole thing. That was interesting, at the very least. Of course, Blake was sure that to imagine someone like Ruby had never had to meet someone that never used a simulation machine for their training.

As long as Ruby didn't go thinking about what that actually _meant,_ Blake was fine to play along.

"It'll be fine," Yang said, shrugging and leaning forward against the table a little bit as she pushed her empty tray in towards the center of the table. "It'll be fun, really. No better stress relief around here."

"Right." Blake said.

Off on the other side of the room, Blake heard the door open with a loud slam. She nearly whorled around in her seat to see who could have possibly wanted to slam the door open. It was rude, for one.

But what she saw made Blake's heart skip a beat in her chest. Standing there, tall, thin, and somehow imposing despite those facts was the patriarch of the Schnee family, head of the Schnee Dust Company, Weiss' father, Jacques Schnee- formerly, Jacques Gelè.

Thousands of thoughts were rushing through Blake's mind, every piece of evidence that had ever been presented to prove that this man was one of the great evils of the world, every piece of propaganda that had been dropped into her lap. Blake wanted to go ahead and do a thousand things, and one of them was to get up in run, while she also wanted to get up and _fight._

She opened her mouth to say something, turning just slightly to face Weiss, but only saw that the girl had quietly gotten up without saying a word to any of her teammates and was on her way to meet her father.

There was something about Weiss' stance that was wrong, and Blake couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. All that she knew was that it was _wrong._

Blake looked between Ruby and Yang, to see that both of them were looking a little concerned, but Blake wasn't sure that either of them had managed to cross the line over into worry just yet.

The good thing was that under her bow she had her second set of ears, and Blake was able to listen in on anything. No amount of whispering would be enough to keep her from hearing what was being talked about.

"-you'll be returning to the ship at once." Jacques Schnee hissed at his daughter. Blake thought of another man, much different from this man but just as controlling and cruel. "And when you do, you'll return to Atlas with myself and your brother-"

"But-" Weiss began, and Blake could hear the thin layer of panic that was hiding underneath her tone. "Father, I've decided that I want to stay here at Beacon."

"So I've heard." Jacques replied in a deadpan that had so much harshness tinting every word that Blake couldn't ignore it. Her heart was beginning to pump a little too hard, and she was starting to feel a little bit more worried with every second that passed her by. "I do not appreciate your willingness to hide from me, Weiss."

"Father, I'm sorry." Weiss said, her voice getting a little bit quieter than it needed to be as she bowed her head ever so slightly in submission. "I want to stay here, and I know that I'm strong enough-"

"I don't care, Weiss." Jacques replied, not giving Weiss any chance to finish what she'd been saying. "You are going to return to Atlas, and when we get back, I will deal with you there."

"No." Weiss responded, taking a few steps back so that she could begin to extract herself from the situation. "I'm staying here."

Blake heard the slap of skin against skin before she saw it, and it was enough to make it feel like her heart had frozen in her chest. Her mind raced back to a camp, to the smell of firewood and tobacco burning alike. Echoing there in the back of her mind, Blake could even hear _his_ voice.

She could almost imagine the scent of blood, and the twinge in her right ear made her wince.

Blake turned her head, just slightly so that she could see what was happening over her shoulder.

Weiss was standing there, shock written all too clearly across her face as she was tugged in towards her father by the wrist. Based on the way that she was being held onto, Blake could tell that the grip was tight, probably enough to bruise if it wasn't for Weiss' aura. It was troubling, and Blake wanted to get up and jump into the middle of it so that she could do something to intervene in what was happening.

"No," Jacques snarled at Weiss. "I don't think that you understand, you don't have a choice in this."

"I'm not-" Weiss seemed to shift her body so that she could properly dig her heels into the ground and try to pull away. The grip was too tight, and Blake felt a tweak in her own wrist that had been won under similar circumstances. Blake unconsciously tugged her remaining sleeve down on her arm to cover her wrist better.

Weiss looked up at her father, and Blake was able to see the fear there all too easily. "Let me go-"

"Absolutely not." Jacques replied, pulling Weiss back in closer.

"We have to do something-" Yang spoke up at Blake' side, and for the first time since the man's arrival, Blake found herself able to concentrate on something other than Jacques Schnee. "This is seriously messed up."

Blake nodded, and that seemed to be all of the encouragement that Yang had needed to be able to do something. Without any hesitation, Yang was on her feet and beginning to stalk towards Weiss and Jacques.

Ruby didn't say anything, but soon she was getting up as well.

That left Blake with a choice, and she took the option that felt better. Even if she wasn't personally Weiss' biggest fan, she wasn't going to sit by and let things play out like this and only get worse and worse and worse. So she forced herself up to her feet, turned, and began on her way to aid in the intervention.

"Hey!" Yang shouted before Jaques or Weiss could say anything else. If there was anything that Blake certainly admired in Yang, it was that she was willing to jump into something when she was needed. "Let her go!"

Jacques froze where he was standing and his expression grew to be much more severe as he turned his attention on to the trio of girls that had decided to step in. "What?" He snarled, not bothering to let Weiss go. At his side and still with her wrist grasped in her father's hand (when Blake looked at her, the word that came to her mind was _'frail'_ ), completely unsure of what to do. "This is a family matter."

"Yeah, well when you're messing with my teammate, it becomes my business." Yang snapped back. "And I think it would be for the best if you got your hands off of her."

"This is a family matter." Jacques reiterated. "And I _refuse_ to leave it unresolved because of some _commoners_."

Blake looked past Jacques so that she could get a chance at making eye contact with Weiss. It locked easily enough, and Weiss was staring at her with disbelief written across her faces. Blake said nothing just nodded slightly in Jacques direction before gesturing with her arm, pulling it in towards herself quickly.

It was advice that she didn't want to have to give in any situation.

But Weiss understood. Blake watched the white haired girl's expression twist into one of determination, and she watched as Weiss braced herself before mimicking what Blake had gestured perfectly.

Weiss ripped her arm away from Jacques and took the opportunity to put space between the two of them. Blake held her head high and stepped in a little bit closer to Weiss and Weiss was glad to make her way over so that the two of them were sharing space properly.

"Blake-"

"It's fine." Blake said, glaring at Jacques.

Yang looked at Weiss and Blake, and it was obvious that she understood what was going on herself. That was about the best that Blake could have hoped for.

Jacques was beginning to stalk towards Weiss again, but Yang was quick. "Don't." She commanded, and for the first time Blake realized that the blonde's eyes had managed to turn _burning_ red at some point. She had absolutely no idea how it had happened, and that was scary.

"Do I need to call the authorities on you, girl?" Jacques asked, his voice hard and cold. "I'm simply trying to return home with my daughter."

"No." Yang replied, not wavering. Blake looked to Weiss and nodded at her without saying a word before stepping forward to stand at Yang's side. Unsurprisingly, Ruby decided to slide in next to Weiss so quickly that Blake almost missed that she'd even moved. "You're going to leave my teammate alone."

"What is the-" Jacques looked between all four of them, and Blake couldn't help the slight smile that began to crease across her face at the understanding of what was happening. They'd managed to pen the man into a position where he had very few ways to respond to them. "What is the meaning of this?"

"We aren't letting you hurt our teammate." Blake spoke up then, and she couldn't help but feel that there was something a little bit wrong with her speaking up and referring to Weiss as a teammate. It wasn't something that she would have ever expected, but it was also something that made sense to say.

After this was all over with, Blake was sure that she and Weiss were going to have to talk sometime.

For now, that didn't matter.

"I don't think you understand, girl." Jacques said, standing up and bringing his arms together behind his back. "I am a very powerful man, and I will not stand for this- "

"That won't matter, Jacques." The doors slammed open, and stepping through them standing tall and with his head so high up that he could be doing just about anything and still manage to communicate power, was General James Ironwood of Atlas.

All at once, things began to click into place.

"What?" Jacques whorled around to face the general. "General, these children are aiding in the _kidnapping_ of my daughter."

The general nodded, and looked at the three of them. He seemed to look past Blake, past Yang, and only looked at Weiss. He raised a dark eyebrow, and waited.

Whatever Weiss was doing behind Blake, it had managed to communicate something to the General.

"Jacques." James said, his voice hard. "I think that it's for the best that you leave. Girls, if you could make your way to your dorm."

As much as Blake didn't like the request, she also didn't think that she was exactly in a place where she could go ahead and question it so easily. She looked over at Weiss and then to Yang and Ruby. All three of them fell into a line with Weiss walking between Ruby and Yang as they walked and they made their way out of the mess hall and made their way up to their dorm.

The entire way, nobody said anything. Blake was absolutely certain that she knew the reason for that too. It would be too easy for someone to be able to listen in on them and figure out what was going on with them. It was for the best if nobody listened in on their baggage.

But once they all were in their own room and the door was closed, things changed.

"Are you okay?" Yang was the first one to speak up, and her voice was so hard and insistent as she stepped up into Weiss' space. "Are-"

"I'm fine." Weiss answered, raising her hands up in front of herself like she needed a shield. "I'll be okay."

"Are you sure?" Yang asked, her eyes worried and her worrying her lower lip for a moment. "Because we can totally go back and break his legs if you want us to."

"It's best we don't." Blake said calmly. "If the general at the Atlesian Military is handling the situation, us getting involved won't help with anything."

"Blake's right." Ruby said, looking up at her big sister. "We got Weiss away from him. That's what matters, right?"

"It's... appreciated." Weiss said, before anyone could get a chance to answer at all. "I'm sorry that you had to see that."

"Don't." Blake said, keeping her voice hard as she seated herself on her bed. The space was something that she needed, just the same way that Weiss probably needed it.

"But-"

"I know." Blake said, trying as hard as she could not to think back on what her own life was like. She didn't need to think about Adam right now. She didn't need for Weiss or her teammates to know about that. "Are you going to be okay?"

Weiss eyed her warily, and Blake didn't know how she was supposed to read into it at all. She made her way across the room and finally seated herself on her own bed. When she did, Blake couldn't help but notice that it was completely stiff and nervous in every way.

"I... think so." Weiss replied. "It'll depend on what happens when I hear from the general, I think."

"Wait-" Ruby asked, deciding to jump onto her own bed and settle against the wall. "Why do you think you'll hear from the general?"

Weiss was quiet for a little longer than she needed to be. Blake suspected that she had her own reasons for the way that she acted.

"I'm... just sure." Weiss said, calmly. "And I'd prefer not to talk about it too much."

"Alright." Yang said, flopping back onto her back on her bed. "If you think that's what you want."

"It is." Weiss said, blinking and letting herself relax a little bit. "Thank you all for your concern, though."

"We're teammates." Ruby said, smiling over at Weiss calmly. "Of course we're going to be here to help you out if you need it."

"Yeah." Yang said, shrugging. "That's what good teammates would do."

Blake needed to think about everything that was going on sometime, if only because she had a lot of deeply confusing feelings to get over at some point. Her history wasn't something that she was going to be able to get past and ignore so easily. Weiss was carrying a scar that she had placed there, and Blake knew that was something that she was going to have to address at some point.

But not now, she thought. For now, it was for the best if they all took the time to rest and see how things played out.

Things could have been much worse, Blake supposed.

* * *

It was taking an absolutely enormous amount of restraint to not grab Jacques Schnee by the neck and slam him against the wall so hard that it shattered bone. James had been expecting what had happened on some level, but the fury that was coursing through his every vein was coming with an intensity that he hadn't felt in a very long time.

"What in the _hell_ were you doing?" James nearly shouted the words at Jacques.

"I was _disciplining_ my daughter." Jacques replied, placing as much distance as the two of them could have in the cramped office that was now their battleground. "You, general, were the one that decided to intervene."

"No." James answered, holding his head high. "I believe that honor goes to your daughter's teammates."

"And you should be stepping in to discipline them." Jacques replied. "Armed students going up against a civilian. It's a very bad look, _General_."

"I don't care." James replied, keeping his voice as hard as he could manage. This was only going to get worse and worse the more that the two of them spoke. The responsible thing was to wait and hope that Ozpin or Glynda arrived sooner than later. It was better for just about everyone involved if there were witnesses to how things were being handled. At least that way James would be able to do his job without worrying that he'd end up being hit with a lawsuit for it.

He knew Jacques Schnee all too well. The man was litigation happy even on a good day and James had learned very quickly that was a force that he had absolutely no interest in involving himself with.

"You don't care?" Jacques sneered, his blue eyes blazing. "If that's the case, then why don't you explain what I'm doing here?"

"I didn't think that would require explanation." James answered, his voice hard.

"Oh!" Jacques replied. "The man that has no family doesn't understand how punishing children goes. Who would have imagined?"

That was a jab that James didn't think he was going to be able to ignore. He clenched his hands into fists and grit his teeth. One more word, and he was sure that he was going to step in and try to smash the man against the wall until he bled.

The sound of the door opening was a blessing.

James snapped his attention away from Jacques as quickly as he could manage and looked over his shoulder to see Ozpin and Glynda coming in. He'd only been expecting to hear from one of them, let alone both of them.

"James." Glynda said, her voice hard and annoyed. "What is the meaning of this call?"

"Glynda." James greeted her, turning away from Jacques entirely. The intelligent thing to do would be to keep himself from turning his back to his enemy, but Jacques was a civilian, and that was a good thing. "I was alerted to an incident in the mess hall." He began his explanation. "When I arrived I found Mister Schnee in a confrontation with his daughter and her teammates, and I believe it goes much further than just that. If it weren't for the girl's aura, I suspect there would have been bruises."

Glynda's eyes widened, and Ozpin raised an eyebrow in interest. It was about as interested as they could ever get, and James didn't care for that so much. Glynda looked like she was about to say something, but she didn't move.

Instead, James and Glynda both looked to Ozpin, if only because this specific incident fell under Ozpin's realm of influence. James was involved because Jacques was ultimately a citizen of Atlas. However, Beacon Academy was Ozpin's realm.

"I see." Ozpin said calmly, taking two steps forward. "Mister Schnee, could you explain yourself?"

"I-" Jacques began, his voice so enraged and fury coursing throughout his entire being. James didn't want to think about it too much, if only because he was absolutely certain that he had seen this before. He had to wonder how many times things like this had happened without someone noticing it before.

Knowing Winter, and having met Weiss and Whitley both, James didn't want to know. He couldn't help but wonder where the boy was, but it was all too likely that Whitley was all but under house arrest in light of Weiss' choice to leave.

"Jacques?" James asked, prompting the other man forward.

"I was merely trying to collect my daughter so that we could return to Atlas." Jacques said, collecting himself so quickly that it was close to impossible to believe. "She refused, and so I turned to more corporal methods as a parent has the right to do."

"That-" James began, keeping his temper in line as best as he could. "Is completely incorrect, Jacques."

"I have to agree with the general." Ozpin said calmly. "Mister Schnee, if you could board your ship and begin your trip back to Atlas, then I believe that you would be able to escape prosecution from Valean law enforcement."

"Ozpin-" James began, surprised. He knew that they were leaving him an opening to deal with this through Atlesian means. That wasn't as simple as it sounded. "Are you-"

"Sure?" Ozpin asked. "Yes. I believe I am, if we're to avoid an international incident."

James couldn't help his nerves over that little statement, if only because there were so many ways that this could go wrong. However, there was something that James could do. He took a deep breath and nodded slowly before speaking up.

"Very well." James said calmly. He turned his eyes to Jacques and finally let himself pass down a order. "Jacques, I will be escorting you to your quarter, and then to your ship. Am I understood?"

Jacques' eyes widened in anger, and James had to do everything in his power to keep his temper under control. He was sure that he knew what was going to come next- it was going to be yelling, or insults, or pointed barbs that were very specifically aimed at certain parts of him.

But the man's mouth clamped shut, and that was something that James supposed he could be grateful for. He gestured to the door, and Jacques understood. Of course, the fact that Jacques knew that James was armed at all times was a factor in the man's choice to move.

They exited the office and James followed after the thin man closely. It was a couple minutes walk across the campus before they reached the building that Jacques had been staying in since his arrival in Vale. There didn't need to be much said between them, and that was a good thing. James didn't want to have to engage Jacques any more than he had to at the moment.

There was no way that things could get better. James was already sure that the contract that the two of them had been working on was out the window, and he couldn't blame Jacques for refusing it at that point. Not much could put a better damper on a delicate situation than an arrest.

But Jacques collected his things, even if he ordered his son around to do the same. James kept a particularly close eye to that, and just let everything that the Schnee patriarch said bounce off of him. Under every word there was some sort of pointed insult. There were comments about James' relationship to Winter, and suspected meddling when it came to Weiss. It was all stuff that James had no choice but to admit that he was expecting on at least some level.

It would be an hour before Jacques and Whitley were ready to leave, and after that James escorted them to their ship and didn't dare leave the Beacon docks until he'd personally seen to it that they were off and on the way back to Vale. He was going to have to make some calls to make sure that Jacques was looked after upon his arrival, but James knew that he was going to have some time.

The flight to Atlas was one that he was familiar with- it was lengthy.

But there were more important things to do first, and so James made his way towards the dorms because it was a good idea to check in on Weiss Schnee and see to it that the girl was doing well. Part of him told him that he should let the girl have her time to recover from this incident, but the emotional part of James told him otherwise.

When he reached the room that Weiss Schnee was staying in, James knocked gently and waited.

It was the youngest member of the team that opened the door.

"Hello?" The girl asked, cocking her head and staring up at him with familiar silver eyes. "You're-"

"Hello." James said calmly. "May I come in and speak to your team?"

The girl seemed to shrink a little bit, dejection showing clearly in her shoulders. "We're in trouble, aren't we?"

"Not quite." James answered as the way was created so that he could step inside. All four of the girls stared at him, and James just gestured to the empty bed. The youngest member of their team took her place, and James took a position near the wall in the clear view of all four of them. "I'd like to start by commending all four of you on your behavior earlier."

"Thank you." The girl with black hair responded, her tone cool.

James looked to Weiss though. "However-" He began calmly. "Regardless of the situation, some of you may see some sort of reprimand for everything that happened. I would suspect it will be a slap on the wrist at the worst." He glanced over at the blonde, but only for a moment. "As for you, Miss Schnee-"

James felt terrible for calling out the girl specifically. "I have some news, but I'd rather not give it to you in a place where you don't want others to overhear it."

Weiss blinked up at him with her mother's eyes, and James didn't know how he felt. But the girl's expression softened and she relaxed a little bit before sitting up properly. "I want to hear it here, if that's not a problem."

"Very well." James responded calmly. "I was asked to escort your father and brother to their ship, and they are on their way back to Atlas."

If there was a better way that James could have been able to explain the situation, then James would have been much happier with it. But the girl was sitting there and staring at him with disbelief. "You're telling the truth?" She asked, leaning in slightly.

"I am." James reiterated, as calmly as he could manage. "If he attempts to make contact with you and you wish for him to stop, you may come to my office during the day and I'll be happy to help you."

"Are you... sure?" Weiss asked calmly, leaning in. "What does this mean?"

"It means that you are free to continue your studies here at Beacon Academy, and that should you feel that you need something or help, you are free to ask for it. I have no intention on contacting your father with regards to this issue unless it somehow becomes absolutely critical."

Weiss smiled and nodded, and James returned the expression because really, there wasn't all that much else that he could do.

"Thank you, sir." Weiss said calmly, her eyes bright with something that James had been yet to see in them. "For everything."

"I am just doing my job, Miss Schnee." James responded calmly. "I'll leave you now." With that he gave a low bow and began to make his way away from the room and towards the door. "If you need anything-"

"Wait!" Weiss exclaimed, her voice all too calm despite the exclamation. "You know where my older sister is, right?"

James paused, because that was one of those questions that he supposed he should have been expecting to be asked at some point, but he hadn't been expecting to hear it so soon. Especially not now.

"I do." He said calmly, turning back to face the girl. "Is there a specific reason that you ask?"

Weiss nodded slowly, and James nodded in understanding. There was definitely something that he could do with regard to this situation, even if it was just a balm that would surely wear off later.

"I see." James said, sighing. "I'll be sure to have a message passed along to your sister to make her aware of her presence. I'm sure that she'll find herself in Vale sooner than later. When that happens, I'll be sure to give her time off to see you."

"Thank you, sir." Weiss said, her eyes bright. "It means a lot."

"It's no problem," James replied in an attempt to keep his voice as even as he could possibly manage. "I do hope that all four of you are able to get some rest."

With that, he slipped out and closed the door behind him because that was about all that he could do at that point. He let out a heavy sigh and was able to hear the four girls on the other side of the door beginning to talk quietly amongst themselves.

It wasn't James' business, and so he took the chance to leave and begin the walk back across the campus until he finally reached his own room where he was finally able to unwind for the night, at least in what small way it was possible to do so.

Rest wouldn't come easily. In fact, James managed to spend close to half an hour in bed before he decided that lying there trying to sleep was a fruitless effort. After that, James took the chance to sit down with a copy of the Schnee Contract and did his best to ignore the lingering monster that was waiting for someone to slip up, just outside of the city.

Things could have been much better, James thought as he circled a specific point on the contract. But, he knew- things could have also been much, much worse. The grimm was a good enough reminder of that fact on its own.


	22. Creation

The four of them approached the clearing, all mostly silent aside from the sound of their feet making quiet impacts against the ground. Cinder was walking in close to Hazel's side, just barely a step behind the man, while Watts and Tyrian led the way. She wanted to be a little bit closer to the front of their group, but Cinder had decided it was better to be towards the back.

If only because she was afraid of what was to come.

If she'd known that she would end up in a situation like this one when she had first found these men, Cinder would have run. She would have run and she never would have looked back.

But now it was becoming more and more apparent to Cinder that she didn't have much of a choice in the matter these days. Now this was a matter of something much bigger than herself, and she was afraid.

Cinder had lost her eye.

She had experienced countless nightmares.

She had seen things that didn't belong within the realms of _reality_.

Cinder didn't even realize that she had stopped and let herself fall behind. Hazel was standing just a few paces ahead of her with his eyebrow raised and looking curious, if a little annoyed.

She didn't like it, but Cinder forced herself to catch up with the man and follow after him. He looked back at her over his shoulder and sighed.

"Are you ready for whatever we may see?" Hazel asked, his voice so low in volume and tone that Cinder couldn't help a slight shiver that ran up her spine. She hadn't thought about it all that much before, but Hazel somehow managed to sound like he was more bestial in nature than human. It was strange.

Cinder nodded. She hadn't tried to use her voice yet since she'd gotten up before the departure from their camp.

Hazel nodded as a response and turned his gaze on to the path ahead of him. "It'll be fine." He said calmly, and Cinder realized that the man seemed to be doing his best to keep calm for the sake of keeping her calm. "Nobody's going to die today."

Cinder really didn't know how she felt about that, but was willing to play along for now.

The group of them managed to make their way to the clearing with the pond. Cinder stared out at it with her one good eye, looking for something out there but unable to figure out whether or not something was there. Hazel entered the clearing ahead of her, and she watched the way that he raised a hand to rub at his chest.

A burning feeling began to erupt behind Cinder's eye, and she didn't let herself move to try and relieve it. It was only too easy to make things fall apart, or to injure herself further.

"Nothing!" Watts snapped, turning and whirling around so that he could face Hazel. "We come here and there's _nothing_."

"We need to be patient." Hazel replied, his growl hitting notes of aggression. "We don't know what is going to happen."

Arthur rolled his eyes and looked over at Tyrian. "You are to stay by me, boy." He ordered, and Cinder felt a slight wave of anger that began to rush over her. There was something about the way that Watts treated the rest of them that managed to leave Cinder worried and frustrated.

"I understand." Tyrian said quietly, shrinking back just slightly.

Cinder made a mental note that it was for the best if she didn't let herself stray away from the group too much. If she did, then she was sure that she was going to find herself in a position where she was on the receiving end of Arthur's jabs.

But Hazel had not intentions in waiting around, it seemed. Hazel took a few steps forward, approaching the side of the black pond and watching it like there was going to be something that would happen.

The man raised a hand towards the pool, holding it up over the water and never allowing himself to waver.

Cinder took a step forward, creeping her way up towards where Hazel was standing and settling in at his side. She glanced up at him and looked for a response.

He just stared forward at the pool and didn't move. "Cinder." He said, his voice as quiet as it always was. "Can you speak?"

Cinder blinked, unsure of what to read into the question but she opened her mouth. "Y..." A voice came out. It was her own. For some reason that felt like a surprise, but Cinder couldn't quite place her finger on why. "Yes."

"Good." Hazel replied, dropping his hand to his side again and reaching into his pocket. "You know about these?"

"Some." Cinder replied calmly, staring down into the black water and staring at her own reflection, watching it stare back at her.

She was never really going to be able to get used to the fact that her left eye had been burned away. With a careful hand, Cinder reached up and brushed her singed hair away from her face.

"Good." Hazel replied. Cinder pulled her gaze away from her expression and watched as the man lowered himself down to the side of the pool. Slowly and warily, Hazel reached a broad hand out for the liquid and Cinder watched as his fingertips made contact with the water before he pulled himself away from it, waving his hand away as though he'd been burned.

"What are you-"

"Testing something." Hazel replied, grimacing and forcing himself up to his feet. "Arthur, Tyrian."

The two men looked over at the two of them, and soon enough Tyrian and Arthur were coming to join them. Arthur looked a little bit like he was about to snap, and Cinder found herself feeling more than glad that they were in a position where she wasn't going to be the target of Watts' frustrations for the time being.

"What do you want, Hazel?" Arthur asked, his voice all too intense. "Because-"

Cinder looked between the three men, and then she paused, following Hazel's gaze when she realized that the man wasn't actually looking at the others. His expression was locked into something akin to nervousness.

She watched as the water began to disturb itself. She watched the way that it somehow managed to ripple inwards in too-perfect circles that started at the edges of the pool and didn't reflect that Hazel had made contact with the water at all.

In the center of the pool, the liquid began to meet and it looked like it was boiling. Cinder wanted to pull herself away from the situation and run, because there was something very, very wrong that Cinder didn't want to be there to see.

However, there was something there that was locking her into place and keeping herself from budging from where she was standing.

The water shifted more and more, boiling and getting closer and closer to rising into the air until the pool went completely still. Not a single sign that there was anything wrong.

It was the sight of the waters beginning to separate itself again, rippling outwards until finally something at the center of the pool began to change and shift and something began to emerge from it.

The water revealed bright white spines, and Cinder's eyes widened when she realized exactly what was happening. The forming spines that emerged rose higher and higher before revealing a creature, a large black wolf. It shook its body and forced the black black sludge it had come from to fly off of its fur.

Cinder reached for her weapon, unsure, but was stopped by a hand in front of her, like Hazel was doing his best to place himself between her and the threats that had begun to arise. It was like he was afraid of something that could happen, and Cinder didn't know how to read into it. There had to be something wrong.

"What-"

"Don't." Hazel said, his voice quiet and intense. His eyes flickered over to Arthur. "Beowulf."

"Yes." The other man replied, standing up tall and raising a hand to adjust his tie for a moment. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"It has." Hazel grumbled. "This..."

"We found our spawning pool." Arthur said calmly. "Without a single doubt."

"Do we kill it?" Cinder asked, her voice quiet because there was nothing else that she could think of to ask. This was wrong, but it was also something extraordinary, and Cinder knew that. It was evident in every way that things changed.

The grimm crept towards the edge of the pool, and made its way onto the banks where it shook again, shrugging off the rest of the inky liquid that clung to its body.

Cinder watched it, the way that its burning red eyes turned and the monster stared at them, sniffing like it thought that it would find something of interest on them. It knew that they were there, and everything that Cinder knew told her that this thing should have been turning to attack them.

But instead of moving to attack, the grimm let itself walk on its four paws and creep out of the clearing, heading deeper and deeper into the forest. Cinder swallowed and looked between Hazel and Watts, hoping that at least one of them would say or do something to give them some purpose in what they were doing there.

"Should we follow-" Tyrian started,eyes wide with wonder and obvious fear.

"Perhaps." Arthur replied. "I think it's best we wait."

"We should follow it." Hazel responded, his voice hard. "Before someone else gets a chance to kill it."

Standing off to the side and staring after the beast was Tyrian. His voice was quiet when he spoke, trembling and scared.

"Why did it pass us by?"

That truly was one of those questions that Cinder had no good answer for, and hearing it raised only managed to make her skin crawl and her blood run cold. Everything that she had ever heard about grimm, everything that her studies had ever told her, had always suggested that a proper grimm would just attack the second it got its chance. Especially in the case of the young ones.

All four of them were silent and they looked amongst each other, all unsure of what to do and what to say. Cinder blinked and looked to Hazel, if only because he seemed like he was going to be the one that managed to be the best leader for them.

But the man stood there, gazing off into the distance like he was somehow able to see much more than any of the others could. Cinder didn't dare question it, but a certain wave of warmth told her enough. Hazel was pushing his aura outwards for the sake of seeing what was around him.

"I don't know." He finally said, taking the first step forward with his hands clenched into fists at his side as he walked. "We need to follow it."

That was all that there was to it, it seemed. Arthur sighed heavily and looked deeply annoyed, but he took the chance to turn and follow after Hazel. Tyrian followed as well, though he lagged between them with his tail in his hands and managing to look a little bit like a kicked dog.

That left with Cinder with only so many options, she knew. She took her first step after the group and was quick to catch up with them, falling in beside Hazel if only because he seemed like he was going to be the best one to stay by. He could see, he was even-headed, and he was strong.

He also tended to be a bit kinder to her than any of the others were, in his own unique way.

"We follow it and see if it goes towards a road." Arthur said, although he was doing his best to set ground rules for all of them. "If it turns on us, we cannot hesitate to kill it, Hazel. You know just as well as I do what a beast of that size is capable of."

"I do." Hazel grumbled, not bothering to look anywhere except for the path where the grimm was walking. "Stay wary."

"I already am." Arthur responded in a deadpan. Cinder looked between the two men, and for the first time Cinder realized that Arthur was beginning to prepare himself for battle. He was stretching his hands out in front of him, stretching his fingers like he thought that he was somehow going to be better for it.

Cinder glanced over at Tyrian, and watched as the too-thin man also stretched his arms out and prepared himself for some sort of fight. He was checking his gauntlets, it seemed.

As for Cinder, her swords were beginning to feel all too heavy at her back. She had no way of getting past this, and Cinder was already thinking back to every lesson that she'd ever been given in Haven Academy. She'd been told that Beowulves had previously been one of the most plentiful grimm out there.

According to the old books that she'd been taught from, Beowulves were the types to run in packs. A small group of people would normally be enough to bring in a pack, and the stronger grimm would be larger and more powerful. However, they were also ones that would have had to be around for much longer than the one that they were currently tracking.

But there was something wrong. There was only one grimm that they were tracking. Shouldn't there have been more, theoretically?

And that wasn't to mention the fact that grimm were just different from before they had been before. What if whatever had changed only managed to make grimm mature much quicker than they ever had before?

Cinder didn't know for sure. That was a particular area where practically all study into the topic had only managed to prove to be inadequate at best. There had to be more to it, but she didn't know what it could be.

But judging by the size of some of the beasts that were out there in the world, Cinder was willing to follow this thought to its conclusion. Perhaps when she had the time she could bring it up to Hazel and Arthur. The two of them seemed to know plenty about how grimm work, probably more than anyone that she had ever gotten a chance to talk to before.

The path that they were travelling down narrowed, and Hazel stopped at their vanguard. He was silent but he slid off to the side of the path before silently waving Cinder up in front of him. She nearly felt her heart stop when she realized what the man was doing. It felt like she was about to be thrown to the literal wolves in this case.

"Why-" Cinder opened her mouth and spoke up, looking back at the man with one eye. "Do-"

"You have a bow?" Hazel asked, his voice low and growling. He didn't look at her for long, letting his gaze flicker between Cinder and the path ahead constantly.

"I do." Cinder replied, although she didn't know what to do or say beyond that. She didn't know how to say that she didn't know that she was going to be able to use the weapon when she only had one eye. There was no easy way to discuss it. "But-"

"Then you're taking the front." Hazel said, passing it down as an order because there was no other way that he could address the issue. "We need someone that can shoot."

"No fear, girl." Arthur said, grinning widely as he fell in behind Hazel as though he knew that they were working under some sort of specific order. "It won't bite too hard. You have a good aura, don't you?"

That question really managed to say everything that needed to be said, and Cinder hated it. She hated the way that the discomfort settled more and more down in the pit of her stomach. Arthur was looking at this with the perspective that they could just throw her into the middle of the fight and hope that she didn't get killed first.

But Cinder also was sure that there wasn't so much that she could do to avoid how bad things had gotten. She picked her head up and held it high, knowing that the only way to combat the ridicule was with pride. If she didn't let the other see that she was upset, then Cinder thought that she might have some power over the others in some way.

Whatever little that power might be.

So Cinder turned and took her place at the front of the group, locking her eyes onto the grimm and following after it. The beast was keeping a fairly even pace, stalking forward and stopping every once in awhile to move or observe. Cinder watched it closely, and only found herself wondering what it was leading towards more and more.

The walk took a long time. Not a single time did the grimm look back at them or pay them even the slightest attention, but there were too many times where Cinder would feel a wave of pain that would wash over her. It was always one that was close to debilitating, and always focused in her eye.

It was only when the grimm led them all into a clearing that Cinder realized that they might have found their destination. It wasn't anything like the first one, even though Cinder would have expected that it would have been similar. They were still in the same forest, but this time the clearing that they found was so tightly surrounded by trees that it was next to impossible to see outside of it.

Cinder stepped in and made her way off to the side, allowing for the others to make their way through the path and into the space themselves. She was nervous, reaching back for her bow because finally, for the first time, the grimm stopped dead in its tracks.

The beowulf turned slowly, its glowing red eyes focusing onto the four of them and its teeth beginning to bare themselves. That was bad, and Cinder was ready to run. She drew her swords and was preparing to combine them when Hazel raised a hand to stop her.

This was dangerous, Cinder thought to herself. The fact that the man was so willing for them to stand by and get themselves killed was a bad thing. It was something that Cinder could only think was bound up in foolishness. Hazel was going to get them all killed, and for what?

The grimm was still there, sizing them up, and Cinder watched as Hazel reached down into his pocket with his one free hand. The man kept his eyes on the grimm, and Cinder watched as he removed something from his pocket.

It was only once she recognized a slight blue glow that Cinder realized that Hazel was carrying in his hand a dust crystal.

The last time that they'd been in a village, Hazel had gotten a new supply of Dust, and there had to be something that he was planning with that in consideration. He wouldn't go wasting the resource so quickly.

Hazel took a half-step forward, silent and wary, reaching out and offering the crystal towards the grimm like he thought that it was going to somehow react to him.

"What the hell-" Arthur snarled, and Hazel just shot him a sharp glare as a response.

"Quiet." Hazel growled, and then threw the crystal towards the grimm. It landed on the ground, rolling forward slightly and Cinder watched it. The glow that Cinder now realized had been coming off of Hazel's aura was disappearing. She looked up at the tall man, wondering and searching for something in his eyes.

Finally, Hazel spoke.

"Not like last time." He mumbled, watching the crystal and taking another half step forward. The grimm shifted now, reacting to Hazel's motions and beginning to watch him closely. It lowered its head, staring him down and taking its first few steps forward towards them. Despite it all, there wasn't a single sign that it was preparing to attack them. It was terrifying, but it was a part of their reality. There was nothing like that, though.

The grimm was watching. Almost like there was a bit of intelligence there in its head. That was the absolute opposite of everything that Cinder had ever been taught about the grimm. They were supposed to be mindless, until they grew old enough that they were somehow able to gain intelligence.

But this grimm didn't fit that description, and that scared Cinder. What was she supposed to think?

"It..." Tyrian began, taking an almost-careful half step forward to get a little bit closer to the grimm. "It's not..."

"No." Hazel said, his voice still hard and his expression serious. "It's not here to attack us."

"Then what are we doing here, Hazel?" Arthur asked, keeping his eyes glued to the grimm instead of looking over at the man.

"It's not like the first time I saw a spawning pool." Hazel said calmly. "That time I watched Dust turn to sludge."

All of their gazes fell onto the dust crystal that Hazel had dropped into the center of the clearing. The grimm drew closer to it, lowering its snout and breathing something in through bone covered nostrils.

And Cinder watched in absolute horror as the dust began to change, shifting in color and beginning to change, rotting away slowly like it was turning to liquid out of nowhere. She watched the pool spread outwards, growing larger and larger.

The Beowulf let out a tortured snarl, followed by a howl, and then it collapsed to the ground by the dust crystal.

Cinder had no choice but to watch in abject horror as the beast's body began to change and sink into the land. It was like it was rotting away, turning to nothing all at once, and it left behind only water.

The understanding of what she had just witnessed was something that had come quickly enough. The grimm had died, and left behind a new spawning pool in its place. Cinder looked between Arthur and Hazel, and couldn't help but to wonder what time it was. She didn't know how long the two of them had been travelling, and the fact that their group had left their camp behind was something that weighed heavily enough on Cinder's mind.

"It..." Cinder spoke, her voice too quiet. "Is that normal?"

Hazel and Arthur exchanged a look, their eyes locking. "No." Arthur said finally. "Before..."

"Before spawning pools were static." Hazel provided, cutting the other man off before he could say too much more. "Nobody knew how they were created, and She never..."

"Then how did you..."

"A hunch." Hazel replied, reaching into his pocket again. "Something I saw before."

Arthur was staring Hazel down, raising an eyebrow down and just watching the man with some rather clear disbelief on his face. There had to be something that neither of them was trying to breach. They were both worried, at the very least.

Cinder took a few steps forward, approaching the pool and wondering whether or not it was going to shift and do the same thing as the first pool that they had found. Would a creature birth itself from it? Or would they be left there to wait and watch and see what came next?

"What do we do now?" Tyrian asked, turning his head to look up at all of them with wide eyes as he crouched a little closer to the ground. "Because if this is how our Goddess has decided to lead us..."

"If this is how she's decided to lead us, then we have no choice but to follow." Hazel said, his voice hardening all at once like there was something else on his mind that he wasn't telling them.

"And what if she isn't leading us?" Arthur asked, his voice raising and his tone harshening significantly. "I am having a rather hard time imagining that this is actually getting us anything-"

Cinder looked to Tyrian, who was shifting nervously and seeming just as unsure as the rest of them were about the situation. If Tyrian wasn't completely on board with things, then Cinder didn't know whether or not there was a good way to read into the situation at all. What if things were just bad and there was no other way to consider it?

She looked to the pool, to the black water which rested, completely still as though it was waiting for something. Something that none of them knew about, and if things were as she was beginning to suspect and they would have to wait for another night of rest...

There was no way that their work could be fruitful in any meaningful amount of time, was there.

Hazel stood up tall, holding his head high in a way that Cinder had never seen him do before and glared down at Watts. He was using his height to its greatest potential, and Cinder couldn't be surprised by it.

"Do you have a better idea?" He asked, his voice hard. "Because-"

"We don't have any leads!" Arthur snapped. "The stories, the rumors, it's all given us absolutely _nothing-_ "

Cinder swallowed and looked to the water, feeling that burning behind her eye again and finding herself unable to ignore it at all. She took a step forward towards the edge of the water and reached out for it.

Maybe it was different from the last one. Maybe it was the same. Cinder didn't actually know either way. At her side, Tyrian stood up tall and finally began to move, wandering away from the pool as though there was something tugging him away from them.

Wherever he was going, Cinder didn't have any idea where it could be. And really, that might not have been a bad thing.

She looked to the two fighting men and then back to Tyrian, who had chosen a place to crouch low to the ground and was looking out for a way to go. He blinked and picked his head up, and Cinder stepped up to his side before speaking up.

"What-"

"She's called us here." Tyrian said, his voice lilting with something akin to love. "She would not forsake us-"

Cinder raised an eyebrow, deeply unsure of what she was supposed to do or say at that point. Tyrian seemed confident to some degree, but Cinder couldn't figure out what it was all about.

"But-"

"Look-" Tyrian lifted his hand, point off through the trees.

Cinder couldn't help but wonder what he had seen.

She narrowed her eyes and forced herself to focus, peering through the trunks and into the darkness that had formed between them in search of something that she didn't know. Cinder looked at Tyrian directly, and the man didn't dare turn his head so that he could look over at her.

"What-"

He didn't say a word, just crouched a little bit lower and began on his way towards the break in the trees that he had spotted. Cinder paused before following after him, looking back to Watts and Hazel to check whether the two of them were paying any attention to Tyrian and her. The two men were still bickering.

Cinder hesitated, feeling her weapon's weight and taking it as a comfort before beginning on the walk into the woods after Tyrian. Just ahead of her, she was keeping low to the ground and feeling his way down a path that didn't exist. Cinder could watch the way that his hands skimmed against the surface of the ground, and Cinder couldn't help but wonder what he was looking for.

He walked, and Cinder watched as the ridges of the land on each side of them began to rise higher and higher with every step in. It was like the two of them were being boxed in, until they were finally faced with a cave.

Something was wrong, Cinder thought, every old fight or flight instinct that she had flaring up all at once. Going into a cave had to be dangerous, if only because they weren't going to know what they found there.

"Tyrian-" Cinder spoke up, with a voice that managed to feel like it was completely borrowed from someone else. "We shouldn't."

The thin man blinked and paused, raising his way up to his feet and standing up straight to watch her. The man's gold eyes were completely trained on ehr the entire time, and Cinder couldn't' wonder if he was looking for something from her that she didn't have. "She's here, my dear Ember. We cannot-"

"Tyrian." Cinder said, her voice a little bit harder. This was so different from the first time that the two of them had spent together, except it somehow managed to feel almost similar. "This is dangerous."

"And She will protect us." Tyrian replied, raising his tail over his head and letting it flick back and forth as he finally turned and began on the way inside. "She has marked us, we are safe as long as we carry her scars."

Leaving him to get killed alone was wrong, an old voice in the back of her mind told her.

Another voice told Cinder to do something else, and so she took the first step in behind Tyrian and brought her hands to her sides, stretching her fingers slightly as she prepared herself for whatever could come.

If they needed light, she had power. the only thing was that she hadn't exactly had a chance to use it since her own branding.

The cave turned to unnatural blackness so quickly that cinder shivered. She took her step further in behind Tyrian, and watched as he made his way in. He pressed himself to the wall, and seemed to follow it with his hand. That had to be a bad idea, Cinder thought, and so she forced her semblance up to the surface.

Sure enough, a light appeared in her hand, although it was weak. If this was going to be what she had to fight with, Cinder didn't think that fire was going to be enough.

"Tyrian-"

"Come!" Tyrian hissed at her, ignoring her protests. "She's here-"

Cinder began to walk just a little bit faster so that she could follow closely after the man, and finally made his way into a large opening in the cavern.

It was empty, for the most part. When Cinder looked up, she saw the slight blue glow of Dust through the stone, and she realized quickly that they were somewhere important. And also that their presence had just become much more dangerous.

Tyrian froze in place and took two nervous steps forward so that he could reach the cave wall and press his bare hand to it.

The blazing pain behind Cinder's eye only got stronger when he did.

Tyrian tore his hand back away from the cave wall as though he had been burned. He closed his eyes. "She's here, dear Ember, She's-"

Cinder didn't listen. Whatever Tyrian was saying it managed to drown out in her mind, and Cinder made her way forward just a little bit more so that she stood next to the wall with Tyrian.

The flame illuminated it, just enough, and Cinder recognized the carvings in the stone. They had to be old, possibly ancient. Cut into the cave wall there were girls and men. There were swirling patterns that she couldn't quite track, that had been faded away long ago.

And she followed the swirls and the way that they stretched out further and further across the cave wall. They were beautiful, and they seemed to be weaving together a story that Cinder couldn't make out.

Whatever it was, it was ancient.

"Tyrian..." Cinder began, her voice quiet as she let her fingers trail over one carving that reminded her of a leaf. "What is this?"

"I do not know." The man whimpered, shrinking back from the wall. "I don't-"

Cinder blinked and nodded before looking to him. "Get them."

Tyrian understood. He stood up tall and was soon sprinting his way out of the cave and leaving Cinder alone.

When she was finally alone, there was suddenly a certain sort of echoing through the space that reached her ears.

And every time, it repeated one word and one word alone.

Fall.

 _Fall_.

 _ **Fall**_.

It was her name. It was an order. It was so much more than she could have ever been able to think of that easily.

It made the fact that she was there alone in the cave so, so much more terrifying.

There was a flash of gold behind her eyes, and Cinder collapsed to the ground with images of a girl with brown hair and eyes soft brown skin and a smile like the sun flashing through her mind.

There was something familiar about her, but Cinder couldn't put her finger on it if she even wanted to.

When she came to, it was light and Cinder stared at the others as they stood around her. The only one to illuminate the space was Hazel, and it was with a crystal of dust that he held securely in his hand.

"Cinder," Hazel began, his voice low and growling. "Explain."

When Cinder opened her mouth to speak, nothing came out.


	23. Dustlight

The passage of time proved to be a healing balm of sorts, if nothing else. Their team had managed to calm down and familiarize themselves with each other a least a little bit, and for Weiss, the quiet was nice.

That didn't mean that she didn't feel some sort of guilt for how things had happened. Her father had been forced out of Vale so quickly and roughly that Weiss was sure that she would see consequences for it. The odds were too high that her father was already removing her from the line of succession. That just meant that there was one question left buzzing around in Weiss' mind: it wasn't a matter of how it would happen, it was a matter of _when._

Weiss was sure that she was now in the same place as her sister had been years before, in a way. The only difference was that she had far less control over the situation and how she had left. Winter had just taken her things, made her decision and had extracted herself without any outside help. Weiss hadn't.

She really didn't like that everyone had gone ahead and started making gestures to make her feel better. It wasn't that Weiss hated it, but more that it all felt empty and forced from her view. Ruby and Yang had been happy to invite her to dinner with their dad the next time that they had a chance, and Blake...

Well, Blake was probably the biggest change of all. Mostly because of the fact that Blake was no longer just sitting by and letting the world spin on in the way that it had. Instead, Blake had been much quieter, and while the two of them were definitely giving each other space, it was easier.

The nights were when it got to be the most exhausting but also the most comforting.

Weiss sat on the edge of the fountain in the middle of Beacon's courtyard, very much caught up in her own thoughts. It was quiet, with the only major interruption that Weiss had seen being Team JNPR bickering about something on the way back to their room for the night. Aside from that, it almost reminded her of how it was to sit at the courtyard fountain at her family's home in Atlas.

JNPR had passed through an hour ago.

"Weiss?" A voice called to her, and Weiss turned her head to look back over her shoulder and see that one of her teammates was standing there.

Blake looked tired too, but she was carrying a book that Weiss hadn't seen before. No doubt she had decided to go off to the library to do some schoolwork alone. Weiss couldn't blame her for that.

But still, the other woman's presence was at least on some level jarring.

"Blake." Weiss greeted the other girl, shifting uncomfortably on the edge of the fountain and picking a hand up to offer Blake the space.

Blake seemed wary, approaching slowly before taking her seat and setting the book down next to her. "You're out late." Blake commented, as calmly as she ever managed to.

"So are you." Weiss said, her eyes straying over to the book. It was an old book of fairy tales, probably something that Blake wanted to read before bed. Weiss was sure that she had a copy back in Atlas of her own, but far less beaten and worn.

"I was doing some work." Blake replied, shrugging. "I kind of wanted to... get away from Ruby and Yang for a bit."

"I understand." Weiss sighed, reaching down to dip her fingers into the fountain. "I wanted some quiet, so..."

"Right." Blake said, going quiet for a little too long and staring off like there was something that she wanted to say but wasn't able to find the words.

The silence that hung between the two of them was absolutely deafening, but soon enough Blake spoke again.

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry." Blake sighed, reaching up to brush her bangs out of her eyes with attractive slender fingers. "For everything."

And that was really something that Weiss hadn't been expecting to ever hear. Sure there were definitely some specific things in particular that she would have liked to ask about, but Weiss also wasn't so sure that she wanted to go ahead and push her luck.

"Oh." Weiss said, feeling awkward as her heart began to beat just a little bit harder in her chest. Nervousness overtook her. "Apology accepted."

Blake's brow furrowed and her golden eyes narrowed, getting all the more intense as she turned her gaze onto Weiss more directly now. "That's it?" She asked, almost sounding like she was going to snap. "You're just going to accept-"

"Blake." Weiss began, deciding not to raise her voice for her own sake. "I think that... I've had enough of fighting and all of that for now. At least with people. After everything I kind of just want some quiet again."

"It's just..." Blake grimaced. "I've been awful to you. Your eye-"

"Is fine." Weiss replied, feeling that first wave of self-consciousness beginning to take her over. She picked a hand up and let her fingertips brush against her scar, feeling that it was feeling better and the pain had finally subsided. Instead, it was just a raised line down his skin. "I... Think I actually might like it."

Blake was staring at her in disbelief, and Weiss wasn't sure that she could blame Blake for it. If anything, it just meant that the two of them were still on shaky ground and unsure of how to read into each other's presence.

But it was also a good thing because it meant that it was something that would be able to pass easier.

Blake finally paused, squinting her eyes and leaning in towards Weiss just slightly, and it was the feeling of the other girls' amber eyes roaming over her scar that made Weiss want to pull back and put more space between herself and Blake. That would have done something for their situation, but it wouldn't have done much of anything to alleviate any of the awkwardness.

"You... don't mind it?" Blake asked, finally sitting back up properly. The space between the two of them was a more than welcome thing. "But why would you-"

"It's... hard to explain." Weiss started, pulling her eyes away from Blake as she took the moment to try and find the best way to tell Blake what she felt. "When I first got it I think I was mostly shocked. But then..."

Something deeply uncomfortable and terrible welled up in Weiss' chest. Something that made her want to run and cry and force everyone away from her for the sake of her own safety. She thought back to her father's reaction to the injury, to the way that she had needed to pull herself together to run away from it all.

Her father had been so furious. He'd been furious when she'd changed how she wore her hair too, but somehow that felt so much less significant as this did. Weiss wished that she knew why, but she might have had a way to explain it all.

She turned her head, picking it up so that she could look Blake in the eyes properly now. "Do you... ever feel like doing something specifically because someone else won't like it?"

Blake was silent for much too long, and it left Weiss wondering whether or not she had accidentally gone ahead and offender her. It wouldn't have surprised Weiss for a second to find out that was the case, and that wasn't something that she was happy about by any means.

The black haired girl tore her gaze away from Weiss, focusing on some part of the courtyard far away from them, and Weiss watched as Blake watched a black bird fly over the stretch of space. It was like she thought something important was there, but Weiss couldn't think of what it could have been.

"Yes." Blake said finally, but her voice was too quiet and too sad sounding. In fact, she sounded like her heart had somehow managed to drift far far away from the two of them. "I think that I know what that's like."

And that was the only starting point that Weiss had, so she was willing to run with it. "Well, it's like that." Weiss said quietly, leaning back and bracing herself against the edge of the fountain with her arms. "When he found out..."

Her voice trailed off again, and when Weiss turned his head to look down into the water of the fountain, a face stared back up at her, with a nasty scar running down her face. It was definitely Weiss' own face, and yet she liked it. There was beauty in the injury.

She needed to explain herself. Weiss knew she needed to explain it all. "He found out and he was furious because I had done something that he didn't want for me or Whitley to do." Weiss glanced back over at Blake, just a fast flick of the eyes. "My brother and I were... kept on a tight leash. Our father didn't like the idea of us fighting."

"I thought you had two siblings." Blake commented, "That's what you said the other night."

"I do." Weiss said, sighing. "It's just that my father didn't have any control over Winter. Nobody does, really." She shook her head. "He got more strict with Whitley and I than they did with Winter after she left."

This was going nowhere, Weiss realized. This was going nowhere fast and it wasn't worth it to waste both hers and Blake's time. "The point is, he was furious. I'd broken his rules and he hated everything that had to do with that. The scar is..."

Something won in battle. A symbol of pride but also one of shame. Just an injury. A scar. A part of her. A wound inflicted by an enemy.

"The scar is just a scar." Weiss said finally. "But I got it doing what I wanted to, and I think that matters."

Blake nodded slowly, seemingly in some disbelief, but if she was she wasn't going to voice that fact by the looks of things. "I'm sorry that I didn't pull back at all during our fight." Blake said, all too calmly. "I wasn't paying all that much attention to your aura beyond that it would eventually break."

"And I'm not mad." Weiss replied, holding her head up high. "We both got what we wanted that day, didn't we?"

Blake went silent again, far away in the same sort of way that she had been earlier. She was thinking hard about what Weiss had said, at the very least that much was obvious. For Weiss, she didn't know how much she cared if Blake took her time to think in that moment. What mattered to her was that she and Blake were finally taking time to sit together and just think things over.

Weiss was at least somewhat sure that the two of them were managing to bond, and that in itself felt so much more important than it should have been otherwise.

That was all that she could really ask for. Weiss was sure that if things worked out right the two of them could actually start to work as teammates. Maybe that would be enough to assuage some of the awkwardness about their dorm.

"I think so." Blake finally responded, blinking and picking her head up but not letting herself look back at Weiss. "I wasn't expecting to end up ever seeing you again."

Weiss didn't like that it almost hurt hearing that, but she wasn't going to let herself get caught up on the thought too much. "I don't think that I was expecting to see you again either." She said finally, feeling a little bit too distant when she spoke. "Because I was expecting for that fight to be a thing that I would do and then I was going to get forced to go back to Atlas anyways."

"And now you're here."

"And now I'm here." Weiss repeated, because that really did manage to sum everything up that she'd needed to say. "And I have teammates and I am trying to figure out where I stand with some of them." She glanced back at Blake, feeling at the very least a little bit shy. "And I would like to know."

Blake's lips pressed together into a thin line and Weiss watched as Blake's expression shifted into something much more uncomfortable.. "I don't know that I would call us friends." She said finally, still managing to sound all too distant. "But I'm willing to call you my teammate."

For now, Weiss thought that might have been as far as it could have possibly gone. Teammates wasn't ideal at all, but it was the very first chance that Weiss had to win the acceptance of Blake. Maybe eventually the two of them could call themselves friends, but it was hard to say how long it would be before that was the case.

Either way, it was a win in Weiss' book.

She smiled just slightly at Blake and picked her hand up, offering it in a handshake. "Then I am glad to call you my teammate." Weiss said.

Blake stared her down, her gaze flickering between the offered hand and her face until she finally reached out to take Weiss' hand in her own. Blake's hand was just a little bit larger than her own, but not by much. "Teammates." Blake said, holding the handshake for just a moment before she pulled away. "We should probably get to our dorm."

And that was true, Weiss thought. They were both already out rather late, and Weiss was sure that it wasn't going to be long before Ruby and Yang began to worry. Although, she was sure that giving the sisters some space to be sisters wasn't such a bad thing. If anything, it meant that one positive dynamic was going to be able to be maintained for the time being.

"You're right." Weiss sighed, pushing herself up to her feet and stretching just slightly as she turned to follow after Blake whenever her teammate was ready to lead. "I think we have an early class in the morning anyways."

"Right." Blake answered, smiling just slightly. "we should have probably thought of that earlier, shouldn't we?"

"Probably." Weiss smiled, walking alongside Blake. "I think it's just a lecture, anyways."

"So one of us should take notes?" Blake asked.

"Yeah." Weiss couldn't help the slight laugh that escaped her. "We both probably should, actually."

The two of them were able to go quiet together after that, and it was a relief in itself. The rest of the walk up to their down was calm, and when they finally stepped inside the two of them were greeted by Ruby and Yang alike.

Weiss finally was beginning to feel a little bit better about this whole being at Beacon thing.

* * *

Cinder was staring up at him with one eye that somehow managed to look like it was almost dead despite the fact that it was uninjured. When she tried to speak, nothing left her mouth once more, and her movements were so weak that he had serious doubts that she was going to be able to walk.

Either way, this girl had just experienced something great and terrible.

Hazel picked his head up and looked amongst his teammates, searching his mind for some sort of order that he could pass down but found none. Instead, he let his eyes drift over the stone in the cave before his eyes widened in recognition of what he saw there.

Suddenly, he had some sort of idea about what Cinder might have seen.

"Cinder." Hazel said, softening his voice and letting his volume lower as much as it could without becoming flat out unintelligible. "Can you try to explain?"

She stared up at him and blinked her solitary eye before raising a shaky arm to point at the wall. That explained so much but also explained so little. Hazel tried to push back his nervousness over it all before looking to Watts. "Examine the wall."

"If you can't tell, I'm already on it." The other man replied with a sneering expression on his face. At the very least he was going to be out of the way for a little while, and Hazel was ready for whatever that was going to entail.

Hazel swallowed and looked over at Tyrian. "What about you?" He asked, because that was all that he could do and the only question that he could really think to raise. "What happened?"

Tyrian shifted uncomfortably and Hazel took the time that he had to slip out of his coat. It felt a little bit like he had to shed his skin to do so, and he knew that it bared the scarring on his arms when he did so. That didn't matter. He knew where his pains had come from, and if the others asked, he was going to be able to work around it.

The thin man finally spoke up just as Hazel wrapped Cinder up in the coat. "We followed a feeling here, Hazel-" The man began, and it sounded like he was beginning to stumble over his words. Hazel wished that he was surprised by that fact, but he also couldn't quite bring himself to get there. "-Our dear Ember told me to go and get you and Watts, I had nothing to do with this, I left her because she asked and when we got back-"

Hazel sighed. That was about what he'd been expecting, at least on some level. This wasn't something that made any sense to him. "Understood." He mumbled as he finally laced his arms around Cinder so that he could lift her like an injured child. Hazel absolutely hated the familiarity of it, and the ache that it sparked in his chest and the fact that he wanted to /scream/ for everything that washed through his mind.

For now, he had to push all of his feelings aside. For now, Hazel knew that the best thing that he could do for Cinder was get her somewhere safe and set her down to rest. The girl was in poor health, and they couldn't reliably think that they were going to be able to get past all of it. Not when things were getting bad.

Of course, there were so many worries that plagued the back of his mind as he stood there considering everything. There was a spawning pool within walking distance, and it was only a matter of time before grimm either began to populate the area or the pools began to spread further and further.

For now, they were going to have a choice to make and it was going to be an absolutely crucial one. They had to decide whether or not this was going to be a matter that they could resolve there and then, they would have to make a decision on whether camp was going to be there in this cave, or whether they should return to their old base.

The responsible thing would be to return to their old camp, but Hazel wasn't confident that Cinder was going to be able to stand up to the travel. It was a damn shame too, because Hazel was so certain that this girl could be so strong and powerful if she got a chance to be. The only problem was that now Hazel didn't know that he could rely on anything.

And the worst part that Hazel knew what his part in the place was going to be. He knew for a fact that when things began to fall apart or got really bad, it was going to be up to him to be the glue between the four of them. Watts didn't have a caring quality, and Tyrian wasn't capable of the coherency that they needed in a situation like this on a good day.

As for his own feelings and worries, Hazel could defeat them easy enough. When he fell into his restless sleeps, then Hazel was content to let those thoughts torture him. Only then would he allow himself to see certain similarities, only then would be finally allow for himself to wallow in some of his more dark fears and memories. If he was lucky there would be intervention, but Hazel knew not to rely on it.

For now, he was going to have to stay strong for the four of them. He sighed heavily and looked back at Tyrian and then to Watts. "You two should go back to the camp and pack it up. I'll keep watch over Cinder."

Arthur stepped away from the wall, and Hazel saw that he had his dossier book open and in hand. It seemed like he'd flipped to a particular page, and while Hazel had his questions about what was on it, that wasn't important at the moment. He stared Hazel down, and Hazel was sure that he was trying to think of choice insults to use later on already.

"You will watch the girl?" Arthur asked, taking a step forward slowly and placing himself directly in front of Hazel. "And what makes you think that you are capable, Hazel?"

"It doesn't matter." Hazel said finally. "I'm going to take care of her for the time being. And do some research of my own."

Arthur sighed heavily and walked over beside Hazel, dropping the book into Hazel's hand. "You best do your reading. I suspect you still remember how to read?"

"I do." Hazel growled, glaring Arthur down as he and Tyrian finally turned to leave them alone. Hazel waited a few minutes before he was left alone with Cinder and willing to talk about everything that was going on.

Cinder looked exhausted. The best thing that someone could have done for her in that moment probably would have been to take the chance to dab the sweat away from her water with a rag, but Hazel didn't have cool water to use in that moment. Instead of saying too much, Hazel took a seat by Cinder's head and reached out with a careful hand to brush her hair out of her face. In contrast, she looked too small and fragile. Like a doll that he could crush with a single stray move.

The girl stared up at him with a beleaguered look that Hazel hated seeing on the girl's face. "How are you feeling?" Hazel asked, because there wasn't all that much that he could think to say. The whole thing felt entirely too intimate to him, but this was what he needed to do. He hesitated, because to ask for Cinder to answer him was wrong. Not when she was already so weak and beaten down as she already was. He let out a quiet sigh and finally spoke again. "You don't have to answer."

Cinder closed her eye, pain flickering over her expression as she tried to force herself upright. Realizing what she was doing, Hazel offered his hands to try and help to steady her as she sat up finally. SHe was shaky and weak, and when Hazel realized that he was needed he helped to turn her so that she could rest with her back against the cave wall.

It wasn't much, but the fact that she was at the very least able to move around on her own was something that Hazel had to admit was encouraging. They were on a good start, it was just going to be a matter of seeing where it all ended up.

Cinder opened her mouth to speak again, but only managed to let out a gasping sound. This was too much like it had been before, Hazel thought to himself. This was bad.

But he had to do something, anything if it meant that he was going to be able to comfort this girl and help her heal. Hazel just wished that he actually knew what he could do.

Hazel let out a quiet sigh and nodded, giving Cinder his approval to go quiet if she wanted to. She seemed to accept it and turned her head away from him, letting her eyes slip closed for the time being.

In the quiet, Hazel began to feel a little bit unsure of himself. He needed to figure out what he wanted to do for himself. "Rest." he said finally, because that was all that he could think to do. "If you need me, I'll be right here."

Cinder nodded silently, and Hazel pushed himself up to his feet and moved away from the stone slab where he'd laid the girl down. If it wasn't for the fact that it had seemed to been formed naturally, Hazel was sure that this was something that would have served to unsettle him on some level.

That was only one of the things that he was worried about in that cavern. The presence of dust in the walls was obvious, if the ceiling was lit up in the way that it was. In theory all that it would take to set this place off would be a lone spark. Hazel kept that in mind, and walked to the wall where the carvings stood out against the dark.

Hazel paused, raising a hand up so that he could press his fingers to one of the carvings, but couldn't do anything to stop himself from hesitating. The possibility for things to go wrong were all too real.

He swallowed and turned his head to glance back over at Cinder.

She was lying there, still breathing softly and seemingly just asleep. Whatever she'd experienced it had weakened her, but it hadn't done anything to injure her by the way that things looked. It was going to be up to him at least on some level to make sure that the girl stayed awake and in relatively high spirits.

At least, it would be that way assuming that grimm were still attracted in the ways that they used to be. Considering that they were dealing with a brand new crop of grimm, Hazel couldn't be too sure.

For the first time, under the flow of the Dustlit ceiling, Hazel finally let himself begin to examine the walls in search of whatever had triggered this. THe carvings were surprisingly intricate, despite the fact that they looked close to ancient. Based on the look of them, Hazel wasn't so sure that the carvings had been achieved with hammer and chisel.

Shaping stone with a semblance was something that wasn't outside of the realm of possibility.

Hazel swallowed, casting his gaze down the mural in search of its start. It wasn't so far away, and so Hazel walked all the way down to the end.

The first carving on the wall was of a circle. Empty and bore into the stone like something had once meant to be inlaid there. That was interesting, Hazel thought as he raised his hand and let his fingers brush along the hole.

It was long worn down, but Hazel was sure that it had been once meant to hold something. A moment of thought provided Hazel with nothing, and when he stared down the length of the mural, nothing appeared to him that seemed relevant.

That was most strange.

Hazel took a step away from the wall so that there was place between himself and the wall. The carvings were just there dull against the stone and Hazel crossed his arms as he examined it all. It crossed his mind for just a moment that he still had Arthur's dossier book, but without the other man there to discuss it with it wouldn't be so useful.

Besides, Hazel reminded himself, he knew for a fact that Arthur hadn't had nearly enough time to examine this mural as he now had.

That was going to have to wait.

Hazel paused, reminding himself that he wasn't alone as he turned his head to look back at Cinder. She was still resting, her face cast with a soft blue glow from the crystals of Dust in the ceiling.

Dust.

That was it, Hazel realized as he looked back over at the mural and the strange hole in it. That was it.

He took a few steps away from the wall and made his way over to Cinder. He wasn't sure that he was going to be able to retrieve the Dust from his coat without disturbing the girl, but Hazel couldn't let this wait for too long. If he needed, Hazel was sure that he would have been able to pluck some of the Dust from the cavern itself, but without the proper tools it would take too long.

The man lowered himself to his seat by the girls' head and leaned to the side in an attempt to find his pockets. Hazel saw one of the edges of his coat and pulled it away from Cinder so that he could reach down into it and find the pouch of crystals that he carried with him.

With it retrieved, Hazel stepped away from the girl and opened the package to see what he had. The multicolored crystals were all there, waiting for someone to reach out and take them into his hand. Hazel swallowed and tilted his head back so that he could see the ceiling again.

Light blue, greenish tinge.

Electric Dust, by the looks of it. Hazel found his target and removed it from the package before folding it back shut and walking to the wall itself. He hesitated, looking down at the crystal's shape and size before comparing it to the hole.

Maybe it was going to fit. It wasn't going to be a perfect fit, but the long thing shard was the right length by the looks of things.

He took in a deep breath, forced himself to relax, and slid the crystal into place.

Hazel felt an almost immediate wave of disappointment when nothing seemed to happen. It had felt like the first real lead that he'd had to figure this out in a while, and yet he couldn't help but feel like it had managed to do nothing. It was like there was some sort of piece missing and he had no idea what it could have been.

If it wasn't about Dust, then what could it be?

He let out a very frustrated sigh and was about to pull away from the wall when he felt some sort of tremor under the surface of his thumb. It was the crystal reacting, and he watched as it began to light up and brighten.

So that was what it was. Hazel began to force his aura into the Dust and watched as it began to glow brighter and brighter until the color began to bleed into the rest of the wall, lighting up the stone in a way that wasn't strictly natural.

Dust embedded in the stone, a voice in the back of Hazel's mind supplied, but he could only think that if that was the case it would turn out to be too hard to investigate. Not without tools and resources that he quite plainly just didn't have available to him. All that he could immediately guess was that the formations were far from natural.

It made him wonder though, about this cave. It had either managed to stay hidden and go forgotten for a very long time, or everything in it was recent but Hazel found that particular possibility to be a very hard one to believe. If this was recent, then the Dust would have already been mined out of it.

Which meant that the cave had been able to stay hidden for ages, only to be uncovered by a group of wanderers that had been too far off the beaten path, being led by something that could only be described as being _divine_ and with themselves in a very different place from where the average traveller would end up.

Hazel wracked his mind as he watched the light bleed further and further away from the Dust that he had supplied. He watched as the glow spread along natural veins, might brighter streaks in some places where others only got the peripheral remains of the light to make them glow.

In the end, Hazel ended up waiting there for several minutes as he just watched and waited for something to happen.

When the whole room was lit, that was when Hazel was finally able to piece together what he was seeing.

Whoever had designed the room had been very aware of the resources that were buried and hidden in the walls, Hazel thought. The wall seemed to be telling a story. An old fairy tale that Hazel hadn't thought about in a very long time. He remembered reading it to...

Not important, Hazel cut the thought off as he stepped in closer to what he was able to identify as the beginning of the tale. It looked like a cave, with only a lone figure spilling out of it, their body lit up with the green light of wind Dust. Surrounding them, there was nothing. Just the cave there in the background of the image.

Hazel's gaze followed it, and watched as people began to be added to the tapestry, all lit in different shades of dust. Some of them were more intricately cut than others, and when Hazel let himself draw close he was able to feel the heat of fire on his skin, or the chill of ice.

It was too intricate. This place should have been mined into oblivion ages ago.

Hazel swallowed hard and stepped in close to Cinder, seeing that she laid behind a woman that was cut from the violet glow of Dust, with orange and red swirls of leaves surrounding her. There was also brown mixing into the image, and Hazel felt something tug in his heard that he wasn't able to identify.

Something _awful_.

"Hazel?" Watts' voice broke him out of his reverie, and Hazel turned just slightly so that he could look at the other man and see that he was okay. "What did you-?'

"Dust." Hazel answered, keeping his voice as calm as possible when he finally allowed himself to face Tyrian and Watts properly. The two of them were standing there with their supplies from the camp, and when Hazel allowed himself to think about how far away from the camp they had been, Hazel froze.

Had he been there that long? Was that possible?

"I can see that." Arthur replied, stepping up into the space beside him. "It's-"

"The story of the seasons." Hazel finished for Watts before the other man could go much further with what he was saying. "I know."

Watts was staring him down, his eyes light with curiosity and his expression all too serious. "Do you think it's a lead?"

"I do." Hazel said finally, because that was all that he could really think to say as a response to Watts at that point. Besides, what else was he really supposed to go ahead and say to that? "But I don't know if we can count on it yet."

Watts took a seat on the slab near Cinder, and Hazel could see the thin man moving to begin to check that she wasn't injured at all. Hazel couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty over the fact that he'd allowed for Cinder to lie there in such poor condition.

But she hadn't seemed physically injured, just weak. And Hazel was sure that she was going to be fine once the girl was given time to recover. "It'll depend if She comes."

"She will." Arthur replied, his voice all too calm. While the conversation continued, Tyrian just wandered in closer to the cave walls, reaching out to brush his fingers down a woman that was lit in green. Hazel decided to ignore him for the time being and see what was going on. "You know that this is one-"

"I do." Hazel mumbled. "Not a legend. But if this is what we're looking at, then we don't know what we're going to be looking for beyond a young woman." He paused, looking back to the wall and thinking hard before his gaze flickered over to Cinder. A thought pushed at the back of his mind, but all that Hazel could think was that they needed to get some proper information from Her directly.

The only problem was that the way that they'd been going about things, with the sitting and waiting wasn't all that productive. It put them in a difficult position, one that Hazel didn't know how they were going to be able to get past the situation. He knew fully well that they were wrapped up in a near constant waiting game, and this was something that they were ready to deal with.

That didn't stop him and Arthur from getting frustrated. Hazel was more than certain that their travels and constant searching had also managed to make Tyrian even get fed up with things.

Watts paused, looking down at Cinder. "Do you think that she-"

Hazel swallowed, because that was one of the questions that he didn't want to be asked. There was a lot of risk that came with being close to any of the maidens. Hazel didn't know whether or not it was a story that Cinder was familiar with, and if it was one then...

Well, the question after that became how to make sure that all of them were going to be able to go ahead and play along with it.

"I don't know." Hazel said finally. "Maybe if all four of us had been here when she'd gone down it would be different, but right now we have to wait until she's able to recover."

Watts nodded. Hazel sighed and turned away from the wall, glad that it was remaining lit for the time being. It was undoubtedly making things easier for watts to get his job done. For Hazel, that alone managed to make things worthwhile. Something in the back of his mind told him that the crystal he'd had to sacrifice for the sake of making the wall work was going to be useless after this.

That would be two crystals of dust wasted in that day alone. Ones that he wasn't even going to be able to exchange as dust later. That definitely shot a spike of annoyance up Hazel's thought over the thought. Dust was expensive, and he felt more like he was wasting what was meant to be a line of defense instead of actually getting to put himself to use.

When they found themselves in a position where they needed to fight, Hazel couldn't help but wonder about whether or not he was going to be able to be of use when it came down to it. The absolute last thing that he wanted to do was find himself in a situation where he was the weakest part of their group. The jabs from Watts, and the frustration and anger weren't going to be enough to make it anywhere close to worth it for him to experience.

And Hazel couldn't help the feeling that he was rapidly spiraling towards that point.

He had to force the thought away from himself for everyone's sake. They needed to be able to keep their faculties about them as a collective group, and with Cinder already out they had a lot of problems to look out for.

Hazel swallowed hard, making a fast decision for the sake of their grouping.

"We should set up camp." Hazel suggested calmly, sighing and turning slightly so that he could give a proper look to Watts and Tyrian both. "Since we're already here and this cave can provide cover, it won't hurt to use this as a base for the night. In the morning, we're going to be able to move on and see where we go from there."

"Right, of course-" Watts rolled his eyes, his frustration bleeding through all at once. "We should stay the night and slow down again, because that'll do us so well."

Tyrian stepped in towards them again, placing himself in close to the rest of them. "I think that staying here for the night may be a good idea-" The too thin man offered. "With the Dust, the cave... our Goddess must be close."

"Yes, of course." Watts snapped. "I just don't think that spending another night here out in the middle of nowhere will do anything for us."

Hazel sighed and raised a hand to gesture towards Cinder. "She's not in any condition to travel," he finally said, as bluntly as he could manage. "And it doesn't do us any good to push her and get her killed."

Watts sneered at him and brought his hands up at his sides, like he was doing his best to brush the frustration off all at once. "One night," He snapped like he thought that was going to be enough to dissuade them. "Fine. But I will not be responsible if this ends up getting us killed."

Hazel sighed, because what else was he supposed to say to that. Instead of saying thing, he just offered his hands to the others and took some of the camping supplies so that they could at least set up the basics. At some point someone was going to have to go out to do some sort of patrol,

But for now, they just needed to wait it out and see where things went.


	24. How To Strike

"Alright, you guys! My team!" Ruby called, standing up tall at the edge of the same training room that she and Yang always used. There wasn't a clear line between who the leadership on their team was, but it was exciting to be able to train as a group for once.

Especially now that her teammates were finally beginning to act like they _belonged_ together.

"Yeah, yeah." Yang laughed, walking up to the edge of the arena of herself and looked down into it. They were still waiting on the fact that there was already a team using the space, but it was going to be a few minutes before they got to start doing things properly. "Hurry up!"

"We're coming!" A cheerful voice called, one that Ruby was able to recognize as Pyrrha Nikos'. "Sorry!"

Ruby bounced up beside Yang and stretched up onto the tips of her toes. It seemed like Team JNPR had gotten themselves wrapped up in something strange, based on the way that Lie Ren was doing his best to untangle his weapons away from Pyrrha's shield.

Whatever had happened, something was wrong. Ruby was sure that it made sense had she gotten to actually watch the match, but seeing the aftermath was fun enough.

"It's okay!" Ruby called back down, pausing before glancing over at Blake and Weiss who were both taking the chance before they stepped down into the arena to get ready. "I think we need a few minutes anyways!"

"Right!" Another voice called, this time coming from Jaune Arc. "It'll just be a few minutes... Team attack didn't go so well."

"That's putting it lightly." Nora Valkyrie muttered, sitting on top a rock in the arena space and swinging her legs. Her hammer was resting on its side beside her, the handle well within her reach.

Ruby smiled and waved before turning to face her teammates properly now so that they could get started. "Are you guys ready for a day of training?"

Weiss stared her down and sighed, shifting and twisting her feet in place like she was trying to check that she had a solid base in her heels. Ruby wasn't quite sure _how_ Weiss was able to fight in the heels, but she always managed to do well enough.

And that was a good thing. Not that Ruby ever wanted to try it. Ever.

"I don't know." Weiss said finally, sighing and standing up tall, removing her weapon from her side.

Ruby was glad to see her friend acting like that. Weiss was seeming so relaxed compared to the last time that they'd gone in to train together, and that could only be good, right?

As for Blake, she was leaning coolly against the wall and reading something on her scroll. "We're going to be fine." Blake said calmly, not looking up from whatever she was looking at. "It's just a team training session. Nothing really special."

Yang shot Blake a look, pouting just slightly before turning properly. "Way to be a buzzkill."

"It's just a fact." Blake sighed, sounding just the little bit annoyed.

"It's going to be fun." Ruby said, squirming slightly and relaxing as much as possible while they waited. Her mind was absolutely racing with possibilities for their training session. The four of them hadn't really gotten a chance to see what they could do together yet. "Oh, Yang, do you think that we could-"

"We could what?" Another voice entered the room, and Ruby felt her heart jump when she realized how familiar it was. She looked over her shoulder and saw her uncle stepping into the room, looking tired and a little bit rough for the day, but he was there nonetheless.

"Uh, well.." Ruby let her voice trail off, feeling her face getting a little bit red and hot. "I was going to say that we could use the simulations maybe." She paused, looking back up at Qrow directly now. "What're you doing here Uncle Qrow? Did you come to see how cool we are?"

"Nah." Qrow shrugged. "Just making sure you don't get killed."

Ruby grinned widely and watched her uncle as he took a position on the balcony that overlooked the arena. He looked pleased, carrying a cup of coffee with him and looking a little bit tired. Ruby wanted to go ahead and ask how he was doing, but didn't go as far as to do so.

"You love us." She chirped happily, shifting about and grabbing Crescent Rose so that she could get to work immediately. "And we're going to have a really good session!"

"Yeah," Qrow scoffed, smiling softly. "Sure thing, kiddo."

He didn't say anything to the others members of the team, but that wasn't such a big deal. Once the training room floor opened up, all four of them were there and ready for whatever was to come.

That gave Ruby a thought, so she looked up at her uncle. "Can you pick a grimm for us?"

Qrow looked over at Yang, who just shrugged in response. Qrow pursed his lips slightly and nodded before moving over towards the control console and beginning to play with it. He was quiet for a moment before calling out to them. "Do you want me to pick something easy?" He was making fun of them, Ruby realized easily enough. "Or should I just pick something hard and see how it goes."

Weiss crept forward, positioning herself at Ruby's side and looking up at Qrow. "Are these simulations safe?" She asked.

"Sure are." Qrow said with a shrug. "Your aura drops too low and it'll cancel automatically."

"Not that we'll need it." Yang broke into the conversation, stretching her arms and smiling. "Surprise us, Uncle Qrow."

"Sure thing, firecracker."

He looked down at the four of them, and Ruby looked over at all of her teammates so that they could figure out how to start. There was a long moment of silence before they finally came to some decisions.

The four of them arranged themselves in a circle, all standing back to back. Ruby had Weiss on her right, and Weiss didn't look all too confident in that moment. She was probably afraid, Ruby reminded herself. Weiss had never been in a simulation fight like this one before.

On her other side was Yang, and that was a relief because Yang was sure of everything. She was going to be able to just jump right into things and everything was going to be fine- Ruby was sure that if any of them was going t make it to the end of this simulation, it would be Yang.

Lastly, there was Blake standing directly at Ruby's back, fully armed for anything and everything that could possibly come up. Ruby hoped that Blake was actually as impressive on the battlefield as she made herself look. If she wasn't, then there were going to probably be some problems down the line.

Up at the control, Qrow leaned in and reached for a small mic that was there. He activated it and smiled into it. "You kids ready?"

"Yeah!" Ruby exclaimed. "Surprise us, Uncle Qrow!"

Above her head, the large screen lit up with all four of their aura readings. Ruby looked up at it for just a second before reminding herself that she needed to concentrate on the fight.

The last thing that Ruby paid attention to as she prepared herself and crouched into position was the blare of an alarm to tell them that the simulation was starting.

The floor lit up, and Ruby let her eyes dart around the room in search of a target. Weiss, Blake, and Yang were doing the same and that had to mean that their enemy was either coming from above or...

"Behind you!" Weiss cried, practically swinging around and dancing into a new position as she waved her sword. A burst of light followed from it, darting towards whatever Weiss had seen.

Ruby listened fast, pushing off of the ground and launching herself off of it. She had to anchor Crescent Rose but it worked easily enough as she swung around the weapon before allowing herself to make contact with the ground.

Standing there between the four of them was just an Ursa Major. A part of Ruby wanted to think that this was just Qrow messing with them, but that couldn't be it. He was probably choosing something small to see what they could do with it.

The grimm raised itself high on its high legs, spreading its legs out and Ruby took the chance to place some distance between the grimm and herself before it could attack.

"Uh, Yang!" Ruby called, hoping that it would work to get this fight started. "Cover me!'

"On it!" Yang called back, jumping into action and running over towards Ruby. She made sure to move in close to the grimm, and it worked. The Ursa lashed out at Yang, and Ruby watched as a shard of ice jutted out towards the grimm, its spike brushing into the shoulder of the beast.

"What-" She looked over, pulling back on Crescent Rose and swinging it behind her so that she could rush in at the first chance. Weiss was doing her best to remove her sword from the ground and looked over at Ruby. "Did you-"

"Pay attention!" Weiss snapped back, not allowing Ruby the chance to be any more distracted. "It's-"

Ruby didn't get to hear what else Weiss had been meaning to say when the Ursa Major got close enough that Ruby would be able to move and attack. It took all of her power to make sure that she went fast enough, and Ruby swang Crescent Rose out to the side with both hands.

The grimm got close, and it was about to stop itself when the sound of multiple gunshots rang out, hitting the beast in the back and propelling it even closer.

Ruby made contact with the grimm, catching it with Crescent Rose but immediately realizing that she'd caught it mostly by the armor. That meant that it wasn't going to be enough to do any damage.

It took all of Ruby's momentum to swing around the grimm, where she landed beside Blake.

So that hadn't worked. That was a problem.

Ruby grit her teeth and let herself look over at Blake, who was switching the grip on her weapon and shifting its form from the pistol back to sword.

In front of her, Ruby watched as a volley of blows from Yang knocked the ursa away from her teammates, and she got an idea.

"Blake!" Ruby called. "Yang!"

Blake and Yang both looked at her in surprise, but they seemed to pick up on what she was asking for.

Yang lept back away from the grimm and at the same time Blake threw her weapon towards Yang, a loud bang going off as it both flew and fired, the gunshot making it move even faster than it had been before.

Ruby watched Yang catch the weapon and move, running so that the grimm could be in a somewhat direct line between herself and Blake.

"Wait!" Ruby called before looking at Weiss, who was already preparing an attack of her own. "Weiss, catch it!"

"Got it!" Weiss replied, taking an uneasy step forward and spinning before thrusting her sword into the ground and creating a glyph, just under the grimm's feet. Within moments, it burst into ice and the Ursa Major was captured.

"Yang!"

Ruby watched her sister tug on the ribbon as hard as she could. Blake understood and launched herself off against the ground, using the sheath of her weapon to slash into the grimm.

Blake landed just next to Yang, who passed off the other half of Blake's weapon wordlessly.

The ursa strained itself against its icy bonds, and Weiss seemed to be getting more and more worried about it. "Ruby!" The white haired girl called. "Can you-"

Ruby blinked. She needed to do something, that was clear.

She could try and do something like what Blake and Yang had done, or...

Well, Crescent Rose was a sniper rifle.

"Got it!" She cried, running back several feet away from the ursa and shifting Crescent Rose out of its scythe form and into the proper gun. It wasn't going to be the best, but it would be the easiest to handle that way.

Ruby breathed in slow and focused as she brought the Ursa Major into her sights before finally letting herself pull the trigger.

The bullet flew towards the grimm, and Ruby watched as it lodged itself in the back of its neck.

That should have killed it, Ruby thought. That meant that Qrow had chosen to up the settings so that it was well suited for four people. It made sense that he would have done something like that, Ruby thought.

But they could handle it.

Maybe the best way to do that was to get back in on the same side as her teammates.

Ruby focused all of her energy into her semblance and ran at them, feeling her aura form into petals behind her as she exerted herself.

She had to force herself to make a hard turn when the ice that had been around the grimm finally shattered into pieces.

But she fell in position among her teammates.

"Okay, so that kind of worked-" Yang commented, glaring the beast down. "I think we just need to hit it with everything we've got."

"Good idea." Blake said, sarcasm clearly tinting her voice. "We can't just-"

"Blake is right." Weiss added, holding her head high. "If we're going to beat this thing, we need to be smart about it."

"Right." Ruby said, staring at the grimm, as it began to advance. "Maybe we should start by staying out of its way-"

"Got it!" Weiss responded, jumping forward and raising a hand next to the hilt of her sword. Ruby watched as the dust chamber shifted and changed as Weiss found a new way to fight it.

In an almost-dance, Weiss twirled, moving her sword with her body and Ruby watched as a wall of ice formed around all of them.

Weiss stopped herself, breathing somewhat heavily. "It's not much, but it should hold it off."

The grimm collided with the wall with a loud sound, and Ruby watched as the barrier began to crack. At the very least, Weiss had bought them time.

"Right." Ruby said, turning to look between Blake and Yang. "Okay, so I have an idea."

"Do you?" Weiss asked, seeming nervous and almost even nervous. "Because if you do, we could really use it right now."

"Yeah." Ruby said, looking at Blake. "Can you get on top of the wall?"

"Yes." Blake replied, already readying herself to jump. "Why?"

"Because you and me are going up." Ruby replied, looking up at the top. She really hoped that it wasn't going to be slippery. "When it breaks the wall then we're going to-"

"Got it." Blake looked at Yang. "What will you do?"

"Stay behind and hit it with all I've got?" Yang asked, looking over at Ruby with eyes that were probably about to burst into bright red.

"Yeah!" Ruby cried before looking over at Weiss. She was going to be the last piece of this. "Can you stay back and make sure that we don't fall?"

Weiss hesitated, looking at the wall, then the grimm as it beat against the ice.

"I think so." She finally said. "It'll be hard but-"

"Alright!" Ruby called, not really giving Weiss much of a chance to finish. "Positions!"

They all understood, and Ruby forced herself up towards the top of the wall, landing on it uneasily. She slipped a little bit on her landing, but only found herself being steadied by Blake, who had decided to balance herself by thrusting her blade into the ice.

Yang was at the ready, and Weiss was behind her, keeping her eyes on all three of them as she waited for something to happen.

This was it.

There was a loud roar as the grimm beat against the wall and Ruby watched as it began to shatter.

"Weiss!"

"Get on the platforms!" Weiss yelled back, waving her sword and Ruby saw two glyphs appear in the air.

Good.

She lept towards one and found herself getting pulled in towards it, while Blake did the same.

When they made contact, the white glyph turned black, and Ruby watched Weiss.

They were all waiting for some sort of mark.

Someone just needed to be the one to give it.

She looked Blake in the eyes, not giving the other that much extra time. It wasn't necessary, Ruby knew for a fact that they were both fast.

"Yang, punch it!" Ruby yelled, and Yang just shouted her confirmation before leaping into action and delivering a flurry of blows into the beast's torso.

It was blasted back. "Blake, now!"

"How do you-"

"Across!" Ruby screeched as she launched herself off of Weiss' platform and towards the grimm. Just as her feet had been about to leave the glyph, she practically felt something doing its best to thrust her forward.

It took some effort to direct herself in the right direction, but her and Blake's blades landed in a perfect X.

Within seconds, the simulation grimm dissipated, and Ruby was rewarded with the sound of her uncle's slow clap.

Weiss was hunched over, leaning on her sword for support and looking utterly exhausted. Blake seemed to be doing her best to catch her breath, and even Yang looked a little bit tired.

Come to think of it, getting something to eat and going to bed didn't sound that bad.

"You guys okay?" Ruby asked, looking between her teammates. "Because-"

"Yeah." Yang said, bending over for just a second and resting her hands on her knees before standing up straight. "I'm good."

"Weiss?"

"Just... tired." The heiress answered, doing her best to stand up. Ruby didn't know why Weiss would be feeling so exhausted, but she also figured that it didn't do all that much. Maybe what all of them needed to do was to just take the time to get their things together and rest.

Of course, that was going to depend on Qrow.

Ruby turned and looked up at him. "How'd we do?"

"Pretty good." Qrow answered. He looked too comfortable up there on the balcony. Of course, Ruby figured that he'd seen so many simulation fights in his day that what they had just done was nothing. It hadn't been easy for any of them, but for Uncle Qrow?

The whole thing was probably a cake walk.

Ruby smiled up at Qrow thought, because she knew that he had to have something to say to her about how they'd done and what they could do to do better.

"So..."

"You kids need to work on your teamwork more." Qrow said calmly, reaching over to the control panel so that he could cancel the simulation and keep it from creating another monster for the to fight. "But I figure it was your first time fighting together for real."

Yang took two steps forward and placed herself in a direct line with Ruby. "Well, yeah. Kinda."

"That thing was nothing compared to what you're going to have to deal with." Qrow announced, looking between all four of them. "If you want to be huntresses, you need to be able take down more than just that."

Blake took a few steps forward, and in doing so she placed herself in the very front of their group, staring up at Qrow with a sort of challenge in her eyes. "Then what can we do?"

"Learn to work together." Qrow shrugged. "Learn to use your semblances together, find ways that you can train together and learn some pair attacks if you can." He leaned forward against the front of the balcony and looked between all four of them. "You've got good stuff to start with, but it needs to be refined."

"Right." Weiss said, still looking exhausted. Ruby looked over at her teammate, distinctly worried about how tired Weiss was. There had to be something wrong was all that Ruby could think. None of them were that tired, but...

Maybe it had something to do with Weiss' semblance?

She nudged Weiss gently with her elbow and thought fast before speaking up. "Can we get something to eat?"

Qrow scoffed, sounding actually playful. "Yeah, sure thing kiddo. C'mon, I think there's going to be food ready for you all soon anyways."

"Yes!" Ruby hissed. She folded Crescent Rose into itself and stored it at her back, already making her way over towards the stairs so that she could lead the way out. Yang followed directly after her, and Blake and Weiss lagged behind her a little bit.

Ruby waited for all of them to get their things together before they changed back into their uniforms and made their way out to get something to eat.

* * *

There was a lot that could be said for staying in an ancient cave, Watts thought to himself as he sat up late. While all of his teammates were doing their best to get some rest, he was up and doing his best to make himself comfortable and get some research done.

So far, he felt like he was piecing together parts of gibberish and doing his best to make sense of it all. It felt like he was looking at ancient versions of modern tales with significantly different details at work.

All in all, it was going to be exceptionally difficult for him to make any sense out of what he was reading.

If some of the others were still up, maybe he would have had an easier time of it.

Watts didn't exactly know either way. That was a big part of the problem. If anything felt like it was certain, it would have been easier.

But as things stood, there was nothing concrete and that was proving to be more than just a hassle to deal with.

He picked his head up, bringing his gaze away from his dossier book to see how the others were doing. Cinder was worse for the wear, in a pattern that had been continuing ever since they'd started working with her.

Tyrian was asleep, even if that was a fitful rest that he was in. The man was always twitching and whining, and that was something that managed to permeate every minute of every day. Watts refused to pretend that he didn't loathe him for it.

And then lastly there was Hazel. Strong, always steadfast Hazel. Hazel who probably knew more than anyone and wouldn't let any of them know it.

The fool.

Watts refused to act as though he did not resent Hazel for it. Not when the two of them had been working together for years, usually without any problem whatsoever. The fact of the matter was that Hazel chose not to share things when he had something that was possibly worth sharing.

And it was going to drive all of them into the ground. Of that, Watts was certain.

He heard the sound of rustling over on one of the other beds, and when Watts looked over he watched as Hazel pushed himself upright about halfway. In doing so he pushed his hair out of his face and grimaced before Watts decided to speak.

"I see you are up." Watts commented, putting on the most bored tone that he possibly could for the time being. "What could ever be the special occasion?"

"Nothing." Hazel grumbled. He looked around the cave, an expression on his face that was purely one of someone that didn't know how he wanted to make a situation make sense. Perhaps something had scared the brute awake, Watts thought. That would likely even be what the man expected.

But for now, the children were asleep, and so Watts was going to bring things up that needed to be discussed. "You know that they are asleep."

"I do." Hazel growled, sighing and looking down into his lap. "Just a dream."

"With Her?"

"No." Hazel replied, climbing out of his bedroll and stretching before making his way over to the mural. Watts watched as he reached out for one of the carvings on it, Hazel's thick fingers brushing against a girl surrounded in leaves. "Something else."

Whatever it was, Watts had doubts that Hazel would allow himself to say anything. However, the good thing was that whatever it was seemed to be personal.

The mural managed to be a good distraction, however. "Do you want to know what I've figured out based on that thing?"

Hazel paused, looking back at him over his shoulder with some surprise showing clear on his face. "You've found something?"

"Possibly." Watts answered. He snapped his dossier shut and tucked it away in his things before standing up and joining Hazel. "This is a case where the pieces are there that should make sense, but details are wrong."

Hazel grunted, blinking. Still tired. "Elaborate?"

"You know the story of the seasons the same way that I do, Hazel." Watts began to explain nonchalantly. "The old man in the hut hands out magic like candy to little girls that come to his doorstep."

Hazel stared him down, his brow furrowing. "That's not it."

"I'm well aware." Watts answered. "It's similar, but the details are incorrect. Perhaps a local variant of the story."

"Or an older one." Hazel muttered. "Considering."

"Yes." Watts paused, watching his old partner as he tried to think of anything that was worth bringing up. "Do you really believe that we're getting anywhere?"

Hazel went silent for a long time, his gaze and his attention still focused on the mural before he let out a quiet sigh. "I don't know." He finally said, sighing. "This isn't like how it was..."

"Twenty years ago." Watts finished, deciding that it was for the best that the two of them stop with any pauses and dancing around information. It was just for the best if the two of them dropped all of the pretenses and spoke honestly for a little while if they could. "This isn't how it was twenty years ago."

Hazel stared him down, his expression all but completely unreadable. Watts could have gone ahead and commented on it, but he knew Hazel. Eventually, the other man was going to ease himself into the conversation.

The quiet didn't end up lasting all that long before Hazel sighed and let himself speak. "It's not." He admitted. "But back then we had direct orders, not..." He shook his head. "Whatever this is that we're doing."

"But of course not." Watts replied with a roll of his eyes. "It's definitely not as though you and I are playing along with horrendously nonspecific directions."

Hazel swallowed. "You know that it isn't safe to talk about how we..."

"I'm well aware." Watts responded, with his eyes narrowed the entire while. "But I think that you are dodging the question for other reasons."

"Watts..."

"Guilt, perhaps?"

Hazel clamped his jaw shut and Watts watched the way that he seemed to force all of the tension in himself out as quickly as he possibly could.

"This conversation is over." Hazel responded, taking two steps away from Watts and turning so that he could leave the cave for a bit. "I'm going on patrol."

Watts grinned widely, his eyes focused on the centre of Hazel's back. He knew that just on the other side, the man's brand was there, and it was probably burning or serving as yet another harsh reminder of everything that Hazel had done.

Hazel and him both knew how this was. Sinners must bear their sins.

Neither him nor Hazel had apologized for their own sins, but they carried them on their bodies as any other man would.

It was for the better that way.


	25. Beasts

"It's getting closer." James muttered, his attention glued onto the gigantic grimm as it reached down for something in the forest. It didn't lower itself completely, standing tall as ever even when it was crouched in the way that it was. Hunched over, like it was prepared to shovel something from the ground into its mouth. "You know that it's getting closer."

"We are all well aware, James." Glynda responded, stepping up close to him and peering out in the distance. When James watched her, all that he could do was imagine whatever justices for the beast Glynda was imagining. She had to be thinking about whatever sorts of things she could do. Stones in the forest, the best way to do damage, how a tree could be used to stop it in its path.

James had his doubts that he would be able to go into this battle himself when the time came. He'd been injured too many times over and all of them were more than well aware of that fact. Another bad hit, and it was entirely possible that his career was done. Among other things.

"Yeah." Qrow groaned. "I guess we've gotta start thinking about how to take it out, don't we Jimmy?"

James shot the other man a glare. Normally he would have gone ahead and he would have done something to reprimand Qrow for his behavior. It wasn't as though Qrow wasn't aware of the fact that James hated that particular nickname, the issue was that Qrow rather plainly didn't care at all.

"We do." James growled back, doing his best not to grit his teeth with the words. "I'll be having a specialist come in tomorrow night, but for the time being, we need an emergency plan in case it gets any closer."

They were all silent for a long time. All three of them had gone through this sort of thing so many times in their lives. James had mostly experienced that sort of fight in Atlas, and he was better at planning for the frozen landscape that he called his home.

Vale was different. It wasn't his territory, for one. That alone made it much more difficult for him to be able to do much of anything.

"Of course we do." Qrow groaned. "You know, it would be a lot easier if Oz was here to talk about all of this but..."

"But Ozpin is busy with a meeting." Glynda snapped, bringing Qrow's attention over to her. "And will be until later in the night."

"Yeah, yeah." Qrow muttered. "But of course. Always too busy to help us out."

"They help us plenty." James grumbled, standing up tall and sighing. He could feel a headache beginning to set in, and it wasn't going to be something that would let up so easily. "And Ozpin asked for us to do recon and try to make plans around what we find."

"Well, that's not very useful." Qrow complained. "You know just as well as I do that we're going to end up using Oz's students to clean this up to some level."

"We're all very well aware." Glynda answered, sounding like she'd been wound so tight that she was actually going to lash out and strangle Qrow in a second if he didn't stop. "Those students are my students too."

"Yeah, I know." Qrow mumbled. "But I don't see why we need some stuck-up Atlesian specialists here to help us out with things they don't know anything about. Or generals. Or anything. We can handle this on our own, regardless of what Oz says."

James grit his teeth. He didn't want to do anything to make this worse, but Qrow was really reaching out and pushing at him in every way possible. This wasn't going to get easier anytime soon, and James knew that perfectly well. It just meant that things were going to be hard to deal with for a while until this was over.

But he couldn't just let himself be the target of everything that easily.

"I'm a huntsman just the same as you are." James said as calmly as he could. "Though I suspect that's something that you don't particularly _care_ about, Qrow."

Qrow leaned in towards James, placing himself directly in James' personal space and it more or less took everything that James had not to try and lash out and punch the man for that. It wasn't something that he wanted to deal with on any level. The absolute last thing that James needed to deal with was the fallout of whatever would happen if he went ahead and actually allowed himself to show what he was feeling and thinking when it came to Qrow.

"Oh, I care." Qrow muttered. "I just don't know why you care about us here out in Vale, Jimmy. You know that Atlas is nothing like Vale, and I don't think that you're going to be able to get anywhere near as much done like this as you want to think."

James shook his head. "Why do you think that i have a specialist coming?" James growled. "I'm trying to get better professionals that are more used to the area than I am available to help me on this."

"It won't work." Qrow grinned. "Your specialists don't know anything about what it's like to be in the field like this and you know it, General."

James had to use everything in his power not to make his displeasure over that little comment in particular too obvious. James knew that Qrow was doing his best to go ahead and get a rise out of him, and he absolutely refused to let it show. Not if it was going to let Qrow get any worse.

"My specialists are better suited to this because they are able to spend more time on varied ground." James said in a deadpan, not looking over at Qrow directly. "And the specific one that I have called for has been working around the continent of Sanas for the last year or two." He knew that it wasn't going to be able to get Qrow to leave him alone. It was worth saying otherwise.

Of course, James didn't want to fill in the extra blanks and let others know just who he'd called on. Qrow and Glynda didn't need to know that James had contacted and requested Winter Schnee because it meant that he would be able to make sure that Weiss was taken care of. That was just a part of his intentions, and very much one on the side.

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that." Qrow grunted and stretched just slightly, walking up to the edge of the cliff so that he could get a better look at the grimm. James doubted that it was going to be able to do anything to help at all. "It won't change my mind."

"Yes, we're all aware of that." Another voice broke into the conversation, and James didn't give himself a chance to answer before he looked back over his shoulder.

Ozpin was standing there, with their cane resting in front of them and watched the other three of them like they were expecting to learn something. James, Qrow, and Glynda all stepped away from the cliff to face Ozpin properly.

"Hey, Oz." Qrow greeted them calmly. "What's going on?"

"I was hoping to see how you are all doing." Ozpin commented, looking over their shoulders and out at the Grimm as it was moving around in the forest. "I do hope that I wasn't interrupting anything."

"Trust me when I say that you aren't." Glynda deadpanned, rolling her eyes in the process. "Just the typical bickering between these two."

"But of course." Ozpin said, smiling just slightly. "Have the three of you come to any conclusion on how to handle that... beast."

"Not really." Qrow answered, a little too nonchalantly. "Jimmy here was talking about how he thinks that he can solve everything himself with his little specialists, and we were putting up with it."

James grit his teeth, and a thousand insults rushed through his head at once. Normally, he liked Qrow quite a bit, but when it came to work James tended to want the other man at a very safe distance from him more often than not. That was how he was able to maintain his sanity.

It seemed that this was a case where Qrow wasn't going to allow him to calm down at all. The great thing that James could take comfort in was the fact that Ozpin wasn't likely to just take Qrow's words at face value. They knew how Qrow could be just as well as any of them did, but that didn't leave James any less annoyed over having his words and intentions so badly misrepresented.

"That's not the case." James said, standing up tall and reaching up with a gloved hand so that he could adjust his tie. "I mentioned that I was calling in a specialist to give aid in the case that it is necessary. That however is not my only reason for requesting her presence."

"Of course, James." Ozpin said calmly, taking a few steps forward and walking past all three of them until they were standing on the edge of the cliff. "I suspect that the only plan in place so far is that a group of students would be sent in along with some members of Beacon's faculty."

"That would be the situation at hand, yes." Glynda said, stepping in and sidling up to Ozpin's side. "Selecting teams for this assignment will be difficult, but I have faith in our students."

"I would expect as much." Ozpin replied, not looking away from the grimm as it moved.

In the distance, the great beast stood up tall and turned its head so that it could stare at the four of them, like something had managed to somehow alert it to their presences. James couldn't help the way that it sent a chill down his spine seeing that happen. It reminded him once again of how the status quo had changed over the years.

The grimm that he had been taught to fight when he'd been young had been notable for being mindless. They ran on instinct and were drawn to primal things. Emotions, mostly, but they were known to follow after bloodshed when the time came for it.

If this grimm had any proper resemblance to the ones of his youth, it wouldn't be acting like this. It would have just moved for the city and gone for the kill. Lingering out on the horizon like this, waiting for something... that was unheard of.

Whatever it was waiting for, it was going to be a serious threat. When the time came, they were going to have to grapple with a beast that was more powerful than the average man would have been able to handle. Even back when Grimm had been weaker and more plentiful, they had been meant to be fought by teams.

Now it felt like what they needed to go after the beasts was an army, and the number of people that were capable of fighting grimm weren't plentiful enough in numbers. It only got worse when the fact that deaths were inevitable were brought into consideration.

Here they were, preparing to send children in to fight when they weren't going to have better ways to handle things. Here they were, preparing to send children in to die.

What monsters they were.

James let out a slow exhale and tried to force away all of his frustrations so that he could ensure that he was going to actually be able to get things done when he needed them done. Dwelling on these things wasn't going to get him anywhere, and that was something that James was all too well aware of.

"This is a high-risk situation." James stated as calmly as he could and distancing himself from the emotional side of this job as quickly as he could. "No matter what, we're going to have to be sure that the beast isn't going to be able to get close to Vale. If it does, we'll have untold deaths."

"But of course." Ozpin said, grimacing. "Will you be able to call upon air support in case it gets that close?"

James was a little bit surprised by that request. Normally it was considered for the best if James kept Atlesian air forces as far away from the other kingdoms as was possible, but in this case James wasn't so sure. The fact that Ozpin was specifically requesting it changed things, and James wasn't going to take that without a response.

"It will take some work." James said calmly. "Calling down ships from Atlas can be a logistical nightmare most of the time. I will have to speak closely with the council."

"Do you think that they will refuse the request?"

James paused, thinking on his colleagues and quickly coming to a solution. "I have enough pull within the upper ranks of Atlesian politics and business that I should be able to get them." He hesitated, remembering one of the larger problems that had arisen since his involvement in Vale.

Jacques Schnee was inevitably going to remain as one of the more frustrating parts of his job. He wasn't going to be able to get things done if Jacques found out that he was requesting forces. If Jacques went after the people that James needed to work with, then the whole thing would fall in jeopardy.

He looked Ozpin directly in the eyes and held his head high, tilting his chin back just slightly so that he had a little bit more height as an advantage. "I will do what I can for you, Ozpin, but I cannot make any promises."

"I have my faith in you." Ozpin said, smiling as they turned to Glynda. "I would like to spend some time with you compiling a list of the more capable students at Beacon." They said calmly. "You have a much more direct idea of how these students are than I do, Glynda."

Glynda nodded, and then they all turned their eyes on Qrow, because he was ultimately going to be one of the more important pieces of this equation.

The thing with Qrow, James had realized a while ago, was that the man managed to be a wild card in all of their work. He had connections in interesting places, and had used them before. That didn't mean that it was easy to utilize those things, but James couldn't pretend as though Qrow didn't have his used.

Ozpin and Qrow's eyes locked, and then Ozpin began their instructions to Qrow alone.

"I know that you won't like what I am about to ask you for, Qrow." Ozpin said calmly, unblinking and ever too intense. "If you could reach out for some of your family connections, it could be of great help to us."

James could have sworn that he felt his heart go completely still in his chest, an icicle forming over it that was never going to be able to defrost. The last time that Qrow had been asked to reach out for his more personal connections, things had gone poorly. People had gotten killed, and there had been a reign of destruction left behind that James never wanted to see repeated.

If his fears were correct, then they were going to have so absolutely horrible things to look after.

"No." Qrow snapped, his eyes narrowing as he leaned in slightly. "Absolutely not."

"You know that we will likely need every aid available to us." Ozpin said, still unwavering and lacking any fear. "If you can get their help, then you will be able to sway the equation in our favor."

Qrow took two steps back away from them, and James noticed immediately that he had gone completely tense with frustration and anger. Qrow was drawn completely tight, and James could practically envision the thin man lashing out and punching someone.

It was a good thing that they tended to have these sorts of meetings unarmed. James couldn't help but to fear what they would have had to deal with otherwise. He could think of a few times where he himself had been about ready to pull a gun on someone because a meeting was going poorly. That wasn't something that happened often, but it was still good that they did what they could to avoid that all.

"Yeah." Qrow snapped, sounding completely bitter and angry. "I don't want to do that though, Oz. They aren't family to me, and I don't know that I can trust them for anything."

"I know, Qrow." Ozpin said quietly. "This is a difficult thing that I'm requesting from you, and I know that it must be hard to consider going to do this. However, I need to be willing to do this for the sake of vale and its citizens."

There was near-silence for a long time before Qrow finally responded. He was standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes turned down, and his expression falling apart.

Qrow was going to take all of this out on someone later on, and when that happened, James didn't want to be there to see it. Someone was going to have a lot to worry about when it came to Qrow, and James doubted that it would be him.

This was going to only go poorly, that was something that James was too afraid of.

"Right." Qrow hissed. "I'll think about it, but you better make this up to me, Oz. I don't like doing this sort of thing and you know it."

"I'm well aware, Qrow. I can't thank you for your help enough."

"Yeah," Qrow sneered. "Don't hold your breath on it."

Qrow didn't say a word else. He just turned away from them and started on his way to go off and do whatever it was that he needed to do.

James didn't say anything, just did his best to drown out the murmurings that the others were making as they all watched the man leave. This was bad, James thought. But it was also one of their realities.

There were too many ways that this could fall apart. It was only going to be a matter of time before it came to a head in that way. And oh, how James feared the day that came.

* * *

Cinder awoke, drowning in silence.

The first thing she was greeted by was the warm kiss of Dustlight on her skin, acting as a soothing balm that was better than any medicine or healing that she'd ever been given.

In a way, it all reminded her of home, of a much simpler time before she'd found herself involved with Haven Academy, or men that looked for secrets or gods. It reminded her of her father's back as he worked or ignored her, or of her sister's smile. It reminded her of lying in the grass and bathing under the sun.

It was a reality so far away from the one that she lived in now.

Cinder opened her eyes and looked around the cavern. It looked like people had been busy during the time that she'd been resting. At some point, someone had moved their camp into the cave, and the murals on the walls had faded again in their brightness.

She took a deep breath and forced herself upright. It was difficult, and it felt like the action had nearly drained all of the energy out of her on its own. Whatever had happened the night before had been serious. It wasn't like the injuries that she'd gotten in a dream.

Not a dream, a voice at the back of her mind insisted. It was a vision. Cinder tried not to pay it too much attention. Not if she wanted to be able to get up and take care of things for herself.

The truth of the matter was that Cinder was so tired, and for so many reasons. It was a mix of injuries, hard living, and the fact that she was involved with people that were so unlike her.

And really, she didn't think that she hated any of them. Watts managed his moments of kindness, Tyrian shed that he cared in his own very unique ways and then Hazel...

Well, Cinder didn't know how she felt about him anymore.

There were a lot of reasons for that. The fact that she kept on closing her eyes and being presented with images of a girl her age, with a bright smile and the same brown skin as Hazel's had a lot to do with it. The fact that the man reached out for her like he was afraid for her to be left alone or hurt didn't help.

Really, it just left her wondering what his angle was. Little comments from Watts didn't help either. The man kept on making little implications that Hazel was somehow hiding things from them. He made it sound like Hazel knew more than anyone else, and that he had much more personal stakes in things than any of them could have possibly imagined.

What was she supposed to think? Cinder thought as she looked over at the spot where Hazel was sleeping. It was possible that Watts was trying to play her for something, but...

She would figure it out eventually. But for now, Cinder knew exactly what she wanted to do. What she needed to do.

Cinder climbed down off of the slab that she'd been laid out on the night before and did her best to ignore the pain that rushed its way up her body. It was almost enough to make Cinder want to collapse, but she fought through it.

At the end of the day, Cinder knew that she couldn't continue to allow herself to continue to need the others so much. They didn't respect her and Cinder knew it. She was absolutely positive that a lot of that had to do with her not doing much for herself. Too many times she had slowed them down in some way, either by arriving, or injury, or something else.

No more.

Cinder would be stronger.

On the way out of the cave Cinder managed to collect her weaponry before taking step after shaky step until she was outside.

A pool had formed there, by the lip of the cave. When she and Tyrian had come there the night before, it hadn't existed. The thought only managed to make Cinder's skin crawl as it was yet another reminder that nothing was natural.

A part of her expected for something to come of it. A prickle of heat on her skin, a throbbing of her scars, a voice in her head.

Cinder walked to the edge of the water, unsure of what to do. She'd originally been meaning to just see whether or not she was capable of drawing a bow after so many injuries. She needed to know whether or not she could shoot, and if he couldn't, she needed to learn how to compensate for her injured eye.

But what she found seemed like it had almost appeared there with the express purpose of stopping her.

Cinder wasn't going to take it. She stared down at her own expression and for the first time in days she saw her face and the ways in which it had been ruined and disfigured. The missing eye on the left side of her face was unsightly, and the scar stretched down her neck and across to the right side of her face, looking like it was something between a healing burn and a half-mended laceration.

And the most prominent part of it was the brand. It circled over the space where her eye should have been, and Cinder realized that she would need to find ways to deal with that. She brushed her hair aside and got the best look at the injury as she possibly could.

If she was going to be able to get by, she needed to be able to cover the brand. The others had all managed to find ways to hide theirs. It would be up to her to find a solution of her own to compensate.

No more piggybacking. Cinder was dedicated to that.

She stared at her reflection a little bit longer and allowed for her expression to twist into one of unadulterated anger. For just a moment, Cinder could have sworn that she hadn't seen her reflection react, and the thought was so real that it wasn't enough to keep her stomach from turning.

One day, when all of this was over, Cinder was going to be sure to distance herself from as much spooky stuff as possible. She wanted her life to make sense, and it seemed that was too much to ask right then.

Someday.

Cinder blinked and took the step away from the waters. Focusing on what she had seen there wasn't going to get her anywhere, not if she was truly dedicated to being stronger and being better. If that was going to happen, she was going to have to start before any of the others could get up.

Her weapon was still resting on her back, and Cinder slowly removed both of the blades from where they'd been strapped to her. The two pieces of the weapon snapped together easily enough, and Cinder looked around the area, seeking out a proper target for practice.

In the end, she selected a tree at the other end of the clearing. She was certain that she was still strong enough that she would be able to get an arrow all the way over there once she let it fly. This was just going to be a matter of dedication, testing herself, and working her way back up.

Cinder knocked the first arrow and raised the bow. The first thing that she hadn't been really preparing for was how much of a strain drawing the arrow back was going to be. She could feel her arm beginning to shake, a burn rocketing up it from the injuries that she'd sustained. If it wasn't for the burns and the scars, she could have been fine.

But as things stood, she was weak.

With a slow exhale, Cinder let the arrow fly, and she watched as it veered off to the left and landed in a bush near her target. That wasn't going to do, she thought to herself as she lowered her bow once more. It wasn't good, but she was going to have to take her time doing her best to get back to her old baseline.

Cinder didn't let herself stop for too long. The arrow was sure to still be complete on the other side of the clearing. It was going to be a pain going over and getting back out, but that was something Cinder could deal with. After all, she was sure that they would have time before it was time to leave their camp where she could do her own thing.

THe second arrow flew a little bit closer to target, and the third was about to do that.

Instead of letting go like she was supposed to, Cinder felt the pain flare up so badly that she let loose too early, and she watched in dejection as the arrow landed in the black pond and sank down into it.

The thick fluid of the pond rippled, but instead of rippling outwards from where the arrow had landed, it all went inward until it began to bubble up in the centre.

Just like she had seen in a dream.

No.

A vision.

Cinder's stomach flipped, and if she was sure that she would have her voice for it, she would have gone ahead and called for the others.

Out from the waters, another grimm emerged. This one was fairly small, but it looked exactly like the ones that they'd trailed the day before. The beast's head poked out from the centre of the pool, and Cinder had to take a step back as she watched it emerge bit by bit.

All at once, it shook its body and the black sludge that had been clinging to it slipped off of the beast and splashed down onto the ground, evaporating into smoke on contact.

The grimm, beowulf, Cinder reminded herself, sniffed the air, its mouth open like it was trying to taste for something. The beast didn't pay her the most attention, but it did turn towards her slightly, watching for something.

Cinder kept herself as still as she possibly could. If there was a chance that she was going to end up accidentally drawing it to her, Cinder didn't know that she was going to be able to fight.

But then again, when it was considered that half of the things that she'd been through since meeting with Hazel, Tyrian, and Watts had all been unnatural, maybe it was there for a reason. She wondered whether or not their supposed goddess would send a creature to them to fight.

Maybe it was a test, Cinder thought to herself.

She just made sure to remember that she had to be ready to fight.

The grimm walked around the side of the pond, lowering its head and sniffing in search of something. Cinder didn't let herself speak, and she didn't let herself move quickly, but she took the chance to slide back away from the grimm in careful controlled step.

The Beowulf picked its head up, and Cinder cursed internally. It had heard her, she was sure of it.

All at once, its gaze settled onto her, and Cinder watched it open its large mouth to bark at her.

That, that was bad.

Already Cinder was sure that the grimm had managed to wake the others, and she wasn't going to have time to break her bow apart so that she could use it as the pair of swords that it could also be.

But she had one thing on her side that she could.

The beowulf lowered itself to four legs and went into action, charging her with an open mouth and sharp teeth.

Cinder took a step back and raised her hands in an act of desperation. She practically had to scream for every part of her body to react, and in a moment of relief, Cinder felt her semblance snap into action.

The flames left her in a fast torrent, burning into the grimm and wrapping around it until all that was left there was a pillar of rising black smoke.

There wasn't a single sign that the grimm had even been there anymore.

Cinder watched as the smoke rose, completely unsure of what she was supposed to do at that point. It fit in all of the stories that she'd been told about grimm, that they never left behind remains. It was legendary, really.

Seeing it in person was something else entirely.

"That's-" Tyrian's voice came from the entrance of the cave, and Cinder nearly jumped in fright from it. She hadn't been ready, she'd been too ready for something to come back up after her again. She turned slowly to see Tyrian standing there, his yellow eyes wide and his mouth dropped open. "That's a-"

"Destroyed grimm." Watts' voice broke in, and he actually looked somewhat impressed. That wasn't a look that he normally would have worn, and Cinder didn't know what to make of it. "Did you do this, girl?"

Cinder clamped her mouth shut and nodded slowly, letting herself relax just a little bit. There was no need to keep standing like she was ready to attack.

Watts stepped in close and reached out for her. Instinct told her that she needed to get away from him, but he just brushed her hair aside to get a look at her destroyed eye. "No damage." He mumbled, dropping his hand back down by his side. "You can't speak?"

That was a question that Cinder hadn't exactly been preparing herself for. Really, she hadn't been able to consider what it would be like once the others got up. All that Cinder had been thinking about was making sure that she didn't die.

So she opened her mouth and spoke. "I can." She said, though her voice came out as a hoarse sound. Broken. Painful. "It-"

"Good." Watts cut her off, before she could get a chance to say anything else. "Tyrian, wake up Hazel. We should get going since the girl is apparently well enough to fight."

Cinder clenched her hands into fists at her sides, running through every calming mantra that she had ever heard in the hopes that she would be able to keep herself from lashing out. Really, Watts was doing exactly what she didn't want for any of them, and Cinder hated it.

No, she realized as she glared him down. She didn't hate how he treated her. She just hated Watts.

"We're in no hurry." Cinder snapped at the man, sure that she wasn't going to see anything good from it later on. "He can take his time."

"On the contrary." Watts replied, grinning. There was something in his eyes that Cinder wasn't able to read, and she didn't know that she really wanted to know what he was thinking about. "If Grimm are spawning, then we don't have the time to waste." He paused, tilting his head and his mouth opening before he was interrupted.

"Grimm are spawning?" Hazel's voice was hoarse as ever, but he sounded exhausted. Cinder turned to face him and got a good look at his face. When she blinked she could have sworn that she saw the girl in her dreams in Hazel's place.

Something was very, very wrong.

She forced the thought back at let herself speak. "Yes." Cinder answered, stepping in a little closer towards the others. "I killed it."

"What type?"

"Beowulf." Cinder replied, holding her head up high. "I burned it."

"Good." Hazel mumbled, looking over at Watts. "Balance-"

"Coming back, yes." Watts rolled his eyes. "Do we have an objective yet?"

Hazel hesitated then looked back at Cinder, watching her face for something. Cinder couldn't help the way that her stomach turned over it. This wasn't good. This was far from good. Hazel seemed to know that something was wrong.

He sighed heavily. "I believe we do." Hazel finally answered. "We were brought here for a reason, and we were presented with a lead. Now it's up to us to follow up on it."

"It's insane." Watts said, checking his watch on his wrist. "All of it."

"And yet it's completely in line with what she would want from us." Hazel grumbled, looking over at Tyrian. He stared the thin man down, and then gave an order. "Get your things, Tyrian. We'll have a lot of work to do," He took a half-step back. "Cinder?"

"Yes?" Cinder asked, not sure what the man could possibly be wanting from her.

"Are you able to travel?"

"Yes." Cinder answered, holding her head up high and feeling so much more confident than she had before. Normally, there would have just been an order passed down to say that it was time for them to leave. "I believe so."

"Good." Hazel sighed, gesturing towards the pool. Cinder looked between it and Hazel. "I want to speak to you."

Cinder looked over at Watts and Tyrian, who left once Hazel decided to shoot a glare their way.

Once they were out of view, Hazel began walking towards the pool and Cinder followed after him. The water didn't move to disturb itself at all, but Hazel seemed to want to be close to it.

Cinder realized soon that he was making sure that the two of them were more or less out of earshot before he began to talk.

"We're in for a long journey." Hazel said, his voice hard. "And I need to know that you're up for it."

"I am." Cinder replied. "I need to get used to..." She gestured to her bow. "Without my eye it's not..."

Hazel turned his head and stared her down, searching for something. His only response ended up being a grunt and a nod. "It'll be handled." He mumbled. "With time."

"Right." Cinder blinked, and she looked up at Hazel. He seemed like he was completely far away from her, from all of them. Something was on his mind. "Why did you want to speak to me?"

He was silent, just stared her in the eye and sighed before finally asking one question.

"What's your favorite fairy tale?"


	26. Loom

Blake stood with a little bit of distance between herself and her teammates. The entire student body at Beacon had more or less been herded into the great hall for that evening, and nobody was quite sure what they needed to do there. Something was _wrong_ , and Blake didn't know what it was.

The general consensus seemed to be that they were all brought in for mission assignments.

It was a theory that Blake wasn't comfortable with. If they were being called on for mission assignments, then surely someone would have told them about that first. It wouldn't have been announced as an impromptu manner. It would have felt so much more… _organized._

"I hate assemblies." Yang commented, stretching and wandering over towards Blake. "And I'm guessing you do too."

Blake sighed and nodded slowly, unsure of what to say. "Yes," She murmured. "More or less."

"It'll be nothing, I'm sure of it." Yang said with a too nonchalant shrug. "This is Beacon, we have assemblies for stuff all the time. Usually it's nothing big."

 _Wrong_ , Blake thought. There was no way that they would call on the entire student body if there was no reason for it. It didn't make any sense.

It left her wondering how many people were there in the great hall that were all but oblivious to the threats outside. Did they think about the giant grimm outside of the city? Did they think about the fact that there were monsters that weren't monsters out there? These were people that didn't think about things like the White Fang.

How could they be expected to protect people if they didn't even know what they were going to be protecting?

Blake didn't know, and she was so afraid of what could come from it.

"I'm not so sure." She sighed, looking past Yang to see that Ruby and Weiss were talking about something quietly. More accurately, it looked like Ruby was trying to chatter along about something and Weiss was doing her best to quiet the girl down. "You don't think that it's weird?"

"It might be." Yang shrugged. "But I don't know if we're getting sent out for something big or important."

Blake hesitated, because she could only think back on that mission that she'd gone with her team on with Doctor Oobleck. It had been patrol, looking after a grimm that only managed to get closer and closer to a city that wasn't ready for it.

There was no way that it wasn't somehow related.

It had been weeks. For weeks, everyone had fallen into a pattern of getting up, going to classes, and training, and still Blake wasn't sure. It wasn't comfortable for her, there was that constant sureness that something was wrong and that it would all fall apart sooner than later.

"There just has to be something more to it." Blake whispered. She stood up on her toes, hoping that the slight addition of height would get her a better view. What she saw made her even more nervous.

There at the front of the great hall and standing against the wall, was Qrow, Professor Goodwitch, Professor Ozpin, and General Ironwood.

Not exactly a low-powered group of leaders, from what Blake had seen. She didn't know much about all of them, but reputation was very much a thing. Generals became generals for a reason. The same was true for headmasters and teachers.

If it wasn't important, then they would have no reason for the general to be there. Qrow might show up for fun, but the general was a busy person. That was a known fact.

Something had to be wrong.

"What makes you say that?" Yang asked, rolling her eyes. "The fact that everyone is here?"

"Yes." Blake said, dropping back to her feet. " _Everyone_ is here."

Yang raised an eyebrow, and she didn't look convinced by what Blake had said at all. Blake sighed heavily and raised a hand so that she could subtly gesture towards the front of the room and point out everything that was wrong. "See?"

Yang blinked and looked over at Blake. 'I don't see what the problem is."

Blake pressed her lips together into a flat line, and she wasn't sure what she was really supposed to say without drawing too much attention. "There's no reason that the general would be here for a normal assembly." Blake stated calmly. "Why would he-"

"Wait." Yang cut her off, and Blake blinked before looking back to the front of the room to see what was going on. There, walking up to the podium at the front of the room was Professor Ozpin. They somehow managed to look as though they were completely disconnected from everything in that room.

Ozpin reached out for the microphone on the podium, only adjusting the slightest bit before speaking. "Hello." They greeted the entire room, and with that word alone the entire grand hall went completely silent. There was something about that quiet that managed to be beyond discomforting for Blake, but she didn't know what it was specifically.

Once they were sure that they had the undivided attention of every person in that room, Ozpin allowed themself to continue with their speech. "I am sure that you are all wondering why you have been called here today."

There wasn't a chance given for a response.

Ozpin just nodded. "As all of you are aware, there is a grimm that has taken its residence not far from the city." That was all that was needed, because it kicked off a tittering chatter among the room. Yang looked over at Blake and opened her mouth like she had something that she wanted to say before just shrugging.

Blake wished that she had a better response than doing the same and facing forward to stare at the podium at the front of the room. At the very least, she was glad that she was having one of her questions answered.

This was about the grimm. This was about monsters.

And if they had called for every student at Beacon Academy to come to this to assembly, then that meant that there had to be a reason for it. Blake had a feeling that this wasn't going to be about telling people to stay alert either.

She tried not to focus on that thought too much, because Ozpin still had something that they wanted to say to everyone in that room and Blake didn't want to be one of the ones completely ignoring them. Not when the stakes were potentially very high for everything that was going on.

If it involved that grimm, then it was potentially a matter of life and death, for a lot of people.

"In the past weeks, students have been advised to do their best to keep a distance from the city limits for the sake of their own safety. Grimm are no laughing matter, as you all know." Ozpin explained in an almost-deadpan bored tone. They hesitated. "However, the grimm is approaching the city of Vale, albeit slowly. It will soon be necessary that you are all prepared to fight it. Myself and Professor Goodwitch will be doing our best to ensure that we send the most experienced and ready team into the field to handle this grimm possible." They paused again, looking out amongst the room.

Scanning for the best possible candidates, Blake realized.

"If you are selected for this, you should expect to be contacted by myself or Professor Goodwitch with regards to the matter. For the time being, student teams will be being sent out more often to evaluate the current threat to the city. Students will only be sent out with members of Beacon's faculty or with licensed hunters on sanctioned missions."

There was a long pause, and then Ozpin spoke up, their voice as hard as Blake had ever heard it.

"If we learn that any of you are placing yourselves at serious risk for the sake of glory, the parties involved should be prepared for punishment. This is a high-risk situation, and we cannot afford for someone to anger the grimm and make it want to attack the city."

There was a pause before they looked offstage. Blake followed Ozpin's gaze and saw that they had made direct eye contact with the general, who said nothing and did even less. For a moment, Blake couldn't help but think that it managed to seem like a challenge.

Not good, not at all.

They nodded like something had been said, understanding something that nobody else in that room would have been able to ever identify before speaking once more. "Tomorrow you are all to report to this room at 10 o'clock sharp for mission assignments. Afterward, student teams will be sent into the field on reconnaissance. Be prepared to work closely with a senior hunter, who will have a hand in your fate at this academy should your work fail to be satisfactory. That will be all."

And just like that, the assembly ended and Blake watched Ozpin step away from the podium, making their way out of view while everyone watched. Blake could have sworn that she'd felt her stomach flip just watching all of this, but she didn't want to say anything. Not when there was the chance to make things worse.

She wasn't going to have to say anything, though. Ruby and Weiss were almost immediately crowding in on her and Yang, and Ruby was the first to speak up, though her voice came in a barely-hushed whisper. "Uh, so that was weird."

"Yeah," Yang said, her voice much more solemn than it had been ever before. "It was... like they weren't even here."

Weiss nodded and looked up to the front of the room, and the way that she seemed to pale just slightly told Blake that Weiss had just noticed the General's presence and that probably meant something for her. "I don't like any of this."

"Yeah, I don't think anyone does." Yang said, grimacing and looking over at Blake. "Giant grimm, huh?"

"I doubt we're going to be chosen." Blake sighed. "We're a new team, but if we're going to go on recon again..."

"Then we might not have a choice." Ruby filled in the blank, blinking her silver eyes wide. "Right?"

Blake was sure that she'd felt her blood go cold in her veins. Ruby was right, if they were going to be forced to go out and see what was happening with the grimm, there was always going to be the chance that they found themselves in a fight with it. Based on what Blake knew about the grimm, she didn't think that they would be able to handle it.

They hadn't even done all that well when it came to the simulation grimm that Qrow had selected for them. How were they going to be able to fight something ten times that size and probably a hundred times more powerful?

Blake didn't know, and she was so, so afraid to find out.

"Right." Blake said, keeping her voice down as she took the chance to look around the room. Ozpin and the general were talking to each other, and Qrow and Professor Goodwitch were both fairly close to them. "I just don't like it."

"Well," Weiss spoke up, looking between all four of them. "If that is how things are going to be, then we are going to have to do our best to stay out of trouble when we are in the field."

"And we can still get lots of practice in when we can." Ruby said, shrugging. "I mean, this can't all be bad, right?"

Blake looked among her teammates, and just found herself wishing that she had a genuine answer for Ruby.

And really, she didn't. She was sure that she never would, and that terrified Blake.

* * *

Qrow hated assemblies, even now as an adult when he had nothing to do with them. As soon as he'd finished listening to Ozpin's speech, he'd been off and out of Vale.

That was what had him standing in a clearing just outside of Vale, far past the three-mile marking and at a dangerous proximity to the grimm.

He had things to do, he reminded himself as he closed his eyes and did his absolute best to find his calm and reach his center again. He needed to be ready to shift forms, head out over the forest, and try to find some of the people out there that would be able to help them out.

Qrow really didn't want to have to do this, but it was coming anyways.

It took him a little bit of time before it happened, but Qrow finally set to the skies, the same way that he had countless times over the course of his life. He didn't know how far he was going to have to go to find help, but Qrow was ready for it either way.

He shifted forms, feeling a tug at his arms that was all too uncomfortable at first before he was up in the air, flapping and doing his best to gain as much altitude over the land below as he could.

The bad thing about this sort of job was that Qrow wasn't exactly in a place where he could just shut his mind off during his flight. There wasn't a good way for him to search out them, to find his sister.

It wasn't exactly like she answered calls. She'd find him if she needed him, but if he needed her…

Well, it was kind of a lost cause.

Qrow flew for close to an hour, his body aching as he came to stop, landing in a tree and watching the landscape for any sign of movement. That was when he saw it, the slow rise of smoke into the sky, and a small tent city built up around it. Protecting it, there were the large wooden pikes that served as a fence.

Ready to leave at the drop of a hat, as always. The second they were ready to leave the fences would go up in flame, and the tents would be taken as everyone left together.

A black and red banner told him everything else that he needed to know about what he was looking at.

He'd found his way home, as bad of a thing and as unstable as that sort of thing could be.

Qrow sat there in the treetops for a little bit longer than he should have. He knew that he was going to have to go out there soon, and when that happened, he was going to have something to deal with that was very far from what he wanted to confront.

There was a reason that he'd left this place, and now, sitting up in the treetops and watching, Qrow was reminded why.

He couldn't dwell on it too much longer, though. Vale needed him, and he had a job to do.

Qrow reached his wings out and flew, heading towards the camp city and watching for any sign of movement. Sure enough, when he got close Qrow dipped down to the treeline so that he would be a little bit less obvious about the fact that he was coming.

The people here knew well enough to watch the skies, and so Qrow knew that there was absolutely no way that he was going to be able to get in undetected.

Qrow turned back to a man on the footpath outside of the camp city and stretched his legs, hoping that it would make him feel a bit better. It didn't help, but Qrow was able to reach back and find his sword.

That alone was a great comfort to him, and Qrow was so glad for it.

He took in a deep breath, and then he made his way towards the outskirts of the city.

Someone was standing by the front, and as soon as they realized who he was, they were hurrying off to find help. Qrow tried not to pay it the most attention, but he followed after and headed in.

He knew exactly what he was looking for, and sure enough, Qrow found her.

She was there under a lean-to, bent over a map and talking to someone that was watching her carefully as she passed down orders from behind the mask.

Raven Branwen.

Qrow loved her, he hated her, she was his sister.

He approached calmly though, stretching and only speaking up once he was near the edge of his sister's tent.

"Raven." Qrow called.

She noticed his presence, picked her head up, and turned slowly to stare at him from behind that mask of her. The mask that had once belonged to the woman that had taken the two of them in, back when they were children.

Now Raven carried the mantle of tribe leader.

Qrow was just an outcast, and that was a good thing. He didn't want to be a part of this world.

Raven made him feel like he was under a microscope, and Qrow completely and utterly hated it. She was going to make him feel this way as much as she could, Qrow was sure of it. That was a major part of how the two of them worked.

Of course, he had his own things that he could do if he needed to be over her. Hanging Yang and Taiyang over her head was something that Qrow had never been afraid to do before, and that wasn't something that he thought was going to change now.

Raven seemed to hesitate for a moment before she looked over at one of the other people in the tent. She raised a hand to dismiss them, and just like that Qrow and Raven were alone, for the most part. It wasn't as though there weren't still people there looking after what was happening.

"Hello, Brother." Raven greeted him, resting one hand on her sword, expecting a fight. "Come home to see the family?"

"No." Qrow replied, taking a few steps forward until he was under the tent with Raven. He reached up for a rope on the way in, the same way that he had many times before in his life. He found the catch and tugged, bringing the front flap of the tent down behind him and buying the two of them a little bit of privacy. "You aren't my family, for one." He said, getting close to his sister and dropping into a chair. "And two, I'm here on business."

Raven turned her head, watching him still in that deeply predatory way that she had. "You better have a good reason to be here. If this is about-"

"I do have good reason to be here, but it's not about _that_." Qrow said, wishing that he had a drink in his hand and reaching for his flask at the thought. "Ozpin sent me."

Raven understood, and she seated herself across the table from Qrow, leaning back in her seat in a way that managed to make her look very relaxed, but still threatening. That was Raven, though. All of her currency was in intimidation and she was well aware of that fact.

"Ozpin."

"Yeah." Qrow replied, narrowing his eyes as he brought his flask back down. He could feel the back of his throat beginning to burn in this pleasant way that it always did. "You know that I'm not going to talk to you as long as you-"

She was silent for a long moment, but Raven reached up for her mask, pulling it off from the back. Her hair fell into her face as soon as it was out of the way, and Raven placed it on the table between the two of them. It was like he was being stared down by a monster.

Not just a monster, Qrow reminded himself. The leader's mask was something that was passed from generation to generation, always intending to intimidate those below them. Qrow hated the damn thing and Raven knew that perfectly well.

Qrow looked from the mask then back at his twin with an unamused expression. She rolled her eyes, reached out, and pushed it out of the way so that it wasn't between the two of them.

"Happy now?"

"More or less." Qrow said with a shrug. It was time for them to get to talking about what he'd been sent to ask for. "Ozpin sent me."

"And what do they want?" Raven replied, staring him down and managing to look completely furious with the fact that Qrow hadn't come for personal reasons. She knew just as well as he did that he wasn't going to come to a bandit cam for that sort of thing anymore. Raven had burned her chance to get that sort of attention from Qrow the second that she'd walked out on their family.

Qrow sipped from his flask. "You've seen the grimm, yeah?"

"The King Minos." Raven stated, holding her head high and staring Qrow down. "Is that the one that you're referring to?"

"Yeah." Qrow leaned back into his seat, almost mirroring his sister but knowing that he didn't manage to hold anywhere near the same effect as she did. "It's been getting close to Vale, and Ozpin's worried. Everyone's worried."

"So take care of it."

"You know that's not done as easily as you think." Qrow replied, meeting his twin's eyes and frowning. "The point is that Ozpin's getting desperate. You know how things went last time."

"Last time." Raven repeated, managing to sound so far away. "You mean when Ozpin-"

"Raven-"

"You know what they did, Qrow." She snapped, leaning in and slamming a palm down on the table next to her. "They didn't even _care_."

"That's not true and you know it!" Qrow snapped back. "They aren't trying to pull something like that before."

"Oh, but of course." Raven said, rolling her eyes. "Only because they don't have the same resources that they did last time."

"Yeah, they don't." Qrow growled. "But this isn't exactly about that sort of thing. They need to know that if things start to go to hell with that grimm, there will be backup." He sighed, leaning back in his seat. "Ozpin's looking for support from every corner of Remnant that they possibly can get it from. Atlesian Military, you, whoever else will help."

She didn't say anything to that at first. Qrow figured that mentioning the military had been a mistake on his part, but if Raven and the tribe were going to help them at all with the grimm, then he needed to be clear on that.

"I know it isn't great, Rae." Qrow sighed.

She shook her head, closing her eyes as she did so. "I don't think that I can do this after what happened." Raven said, her voice much quieter than it strictly needed to be. "You know what they did."

"They did it to save us all." Qrow sighed, looking away from his sister and feeling a pang of guilt that worked its way through his chest. Wanting desperately to ignore it, he drank. "I wasn't happy about it either but... it was necessary."

"No," Raven replied. "It wasn't. There wasn't anything about it that was necessary."

"They saved-"

" _They got Summer killed_!"

Qrow snapped his jaw shut at that because there really wasn't any good way to respond to Summer. It was an argument that the two of them had shared over and over again, and every time they failed to get anywhere with it. Ultimately, Qrow knew what the problem was, what was keeping the two of them from being able to move on.

He and Raven were both mourning, and this was going to be a long conversation before one of them was going to be able to relax or breathe, or move forward on the topic. They were both in pain.

"Yeah." Qrow sighed, slumping back in his seat and running his finger on the engraved part of his flask. "They did. But it wasn't going to do anyone any good if it didn't happen."

"Do you realize what you're saying?" Raven snapped at Qrow, leaning in as close to him as she possibly could and pressing herself into his space so that there was no way that he could avoid her. "Do you know how cold you sound?"

Qrow paused, because that was a question that Qrow wouldn't have normally asked of himself. The things that had been leading up to Summer's death had been complicated, with so many layers that Qrow was sure that there was a great number of details that either he, or Raven, or everyone else had managed to miss over the years.

He needed to be able to get past where they were. This was a conversation, that was the important thing.

"Raven-" Qrow sighed, peeling his eyes away from Raven's. "It was a battle. You and I both know that. Nobody could have predicted what would happen to Summer and you know that."

"I do." Raven replied. "But that doesn't stop me from thinking that she was a sacrifice for Ozpin's cause."

"Yeah." Qrow sighed. "I don't know if she was a sacrifice, but she's gone. So is the enemy."

"Say her name, Qrow." Raven hissed. "She doesn't have power anymore."

" _Salem_." Qrow snapped, leaning in towards his sister so close that the two of them were almost touching. "Summer died killing Salem."

Raven stared him down, her eyes narrowing and her expression getting a little bit more intense before she leaned back. "Yes." She finally said, her face stony as she stood back up properly. "She did."

Qrow nodded. He needed to find a way to get Raven back to the original conversation that they'd been trying to have. No matter what, Qrow needed to be able to be sure that Raven was going to be on his side- Vale's side.

That was the most important thing. Even if past experiences and old grudges was going to make that difficult. Qrow just hoped that he wouldn't have to sell his soul to get it all done. He swallowed hard and leaned back away from his sister, needing some space.

"Look-" Qrow started, hoping that he would be able to get Raven's concentration back. "I'm not happy about how all of that ended either, but this isn't about all of that." He clenched his fists at his sides and hoped desperately that Raven wouldn't notice it. "This is about Vale. You remember Vale, right? It was our home for years."

"It's your home." Raven answered, pulling away from him and walking over to the table. She held her head high, and the way that Raven walked reminded Qrow of a military woman in some way. It wasn't a look that was right on Raven. "Because you forgot where your home is."

With those words, Raven gestured to the rest of the tent, and Qrow knew what she was doing. She was once again doing her best to guilt Qrow over the fact that he'd left.

"It's not about that." Qrow sighed. "There are people at risk, and all that we want is your support if something goes wrong." He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, trying his best to force himself to relax. "You don't have to have anything to do with Ozpin. All you have to do is agree to help."

Raven sighed, looking at the map and reaching out, picking up a small token that was resting on it and weighing it between her fingers. "I'll consider it."

"Will you?"

"Yes." Raven replied, her voice too hard. "I'll let you know if it'll work out."

That was probably going to be as much as Qrow got out of her, he realized. It hadn't been a long meeting, but Qrow had been expecting that. "Right." Qrow sighed, pushing himself up to his feet. There were so many things that he could have gone ahead and said, but it wasn't a good idea for her to go there.

Qrow was so afraid of making things worse by bringing up family- their _real_ family.

"Good." Qrow replied, stretching his legs. "I'll hear from you soon."

Raven reached for the hilt of her sword, and Qrow watched as she began to draw the weapon. He raised a hand, just enough so that he could signal to Raven that seh should stop.

She cocked her head slightly and stared him down. "No?"

"I'd rather fly." Qrow answered. "I can get back to Vale just fine."

"Surprising." Raven deadpanned. "Goodbye, brother."

"Later, Raven." Qrow answered as he made his way out of the tent and began the walk back out of the village. He had a flight back to make, and he was sure that certain things were going to be bothering him on the way out.

Mostly, the fact that she wasn't really family anymore, if only because she had left their family.

He and Ozpin were going to have to have a talk, regardless.


	27. Direction

_The world around him was burning, the scent of sulfur rising around him and it was_ painful _. It burned at his nostrils and the heat on Hazel's skin was something so awful, so painful that he couldn't forget it._

 _This was not a dream, Hazel knew, despite how otherworldly the experience seemed. This was a memory, steps that he'd walked once before. The surroundings were familiar, but they were wrong. The people weren't there there had been there once before. The sounds of battle had faded._

 _He was surrounded by a the violent purple glow of Dustlight reflected across unpolished obsidian._

 _"Hazel." A voice called to him, in tones that were deadly familiar. When Hazel turned away from where he was facing, he found nothing. There was no source of the voice, but Hazel knew better than to just ignore it. This was serious._

 _"Hello." He greeted her, doing his best to ignore the way that it felt like his chest was being licked with flame. "You're here."_

 _"I am." She replied, materializing from nothing at his side, wearing a face that wasn't necessarily her own but managed to feel familiar. When Hazel turned to face her, the woman's expression began to change and shift, becoming more and more like her own._

 _She stared at him with burning red eyes, a sly smile, and reached out for him with a porcelain white hand, laced with black veins._

 _"What do you need from me?" He asked, his mouth going dry as he tried to pull things into perspective. Remember where he was and ignore the fact that he was living in a vision. Remember what he was once he was outside of this world._

 _She seemed to float in front of him and looked up at him, staring deep into his eyes before raising her hand and reaching out for him. Her fingers hovered inches away from his chest before she finally passed down an order. "I need your loyalty, Hazel." She whispered to him, once again borrowing a voice that wasn't hers. One from his memories. "Even now."_

 _"Your Grace-"_

 _"Call me by my name."_

 _Hazel swallowed, his mind racing and grasping at straws to find the best thing that he could say. Name after name presented themself to him._

 _Glynda Nerina Amber Cinder Terra SALEM._

 _Her name was Salem. She jogged a memory that hadn't been lost, but had been hazed over by the otherworldiness of the vision._

 _"Salem." He whispered to her. "What do you need from me?"_

 _She smiled at him, the sort of devilish evil smile that could only come from someone that was looking to hurt or to control. Hazel knew her though. She would do such things willingly, but she would not do so without there being some sort of payoff for him, or for the others. If anything, she had come to him because she genuinely thought that she would be able able to help him along._

 _Direction was really all that he and the others needed at this point._

 _The fact that she would come to him just meant that she saw something in him that she didn't see in the others, Hazel was sure of it._

" _Oh Hazel," She cooed, watching him with hooded eyes. "I've chosen and sent a girl to you, I've brought you to old shrines, I've seen to it that my creations would rise before you." Salem hesitated, and the way that she reached out for him made it look like she was getting ready to touch him._

 _Cup his cheek like someone gentle would._

 _"You have." Hazel said quietly, feelings his voice crack in his throat. "You want us to do something with the girl."_

 _"I do." Salem whispered back to him. "But you need to understand, Hazel. I need all sorts of things before I can return."_

 _Return._

 _That word was too important, that was the one that cut through everything. It was the one that put everything into context for Hazel._

 _Return._

 _Salem was reiterating the role for him and the others for him. They needed to be there to be able to help and raise her once more. She wanted to walk the world again, when she had already been broken down before._

 _Hazel still remembered the day that Salem had been destroyed. How the way that things had_

 _"What do you need?" Hazel asked, letting his eyes slip closed. She wasn't going to touch him, Hazel was so sure of it. It was only a matter before things got worse and worse. She knew the boundaries that she must exist in. "The girl-"_

 _"I need the maidens, Hazel." Salem whispered to him. "All four of them. The girl is a likely candidate, and I would be able to give her so much if she could just gain their power."_

 _"Understood." Hazel sighed. "We will hunt the maidens."_

 _Salem reached down for him, and her hand rested on Hazel's forearm, and Hazel grit his teeth and nearly jolted when he felt the burning beginning to set in. A remind. "Fall should be near. Do not fail me, Hazel." Salem hissed at him, drawing in closer and forcing him further down and down. "If you do, I will not allow you to forget it."_

 _It's not just an idle threat. That's something that Hazel is more than sure of._

 _It's the most that he's probably going to be able to get out of Salem._

 _"I understand." He said._

 _Salem stared him down with those burning red eyes. "Good." She hissed, and gripped his arm a little tighter, her long nails cutting into his skin like talons._

 _When he looked down, ichor began to pour from the indents despite the fact that she had not cut him._

Hazel awoke from the dream-vision with a jolt, his chest heaving and blood pouring off of his arm. When he looked down it, the injury left behind wasn't like the ones that Salem would leave him normally. There was no brand.

But there was the burned in lacerations that had been left behind by Salem's nails.

It had been real, at least to some degree.

Hazel didn't let himself linger on it for too long. He climbed out of bed and made his way over to Watts' things. At the very least he would have to dress the wound so that it didn't get infected. Hazel had his doubts that he was going to end up being able to hide the injury, but that was ultimately going to be a problem for later.

They were going to have to sit down and have a serious meeting.

Salem's orders had been clear enough. They were to seek out a maiden and they were going to have to somehow figure out how to put that power inside of Cinder. Salem had selected the girl for a reason.

She'd also threatened him, but that _wasn't_ what Hazel wanted to focus on. He wanted to think about how they had clear directions for the first time in what felt like forever. The last time that had happened had been...

Well, a long time ago.

For now, the most important thing was that Hazel needed to be able to focus and get things together. Starting with patching himself back up and preparing for whatever could possibly come from it. Mostly, how the conversation was going to go once they sat back down as a group and dealt with it.

If Salem had selected only to come to him, then he was sure that he was going to have some sort of hell to pay from the others for it. Tyrian would grow jealous and worried, Cinder would probably be left feeling put out, and Watts was likely to become more vicious in his attacks and jabs.

Sure enough, Hazel was able to find a roll of bandages and took the chance to begin wrapping his injury before the others could wake up. He barely got past the first pass of his bandage over skin when he heard one of his many companions moving.

It was Tyrian, sitting up in his bedroll and shivering like something was wrong.

Hazel grimaced. "Tyrian." He croaked at the thin man. "Go back to bed."

Tyrian looked over at him with his eyes too wide and blinked. He didn't say anything, instead chose to get out of his bedroll and pad over towards where Hazel was sitting. Hazel tried not to get too annoyed when Tyrian just dropped into the empty space beside him.

"Hazel?" Tyrian asked, looking up at him with his eyes wide as he leaned in. "Has She come to you?" The thin man's eyes flickered between the injury that Hazel was wrapping and his face.

There was no use in lying.

"She did." Hazel grumbled. He saw the excited twitch in Tyrian's tail and immediately felt the need to say something. "Don't wake them." It was almost a growl, but one that felt necessary.

"I wasn't going to-" Tyrian said, his golden eyes going wide and his gaze snapping down to the ground. "I was simply..." He trembled, too excited. Already too wound up for anyone's good. Hazel knew that it would cause some problems later on if Tyrian's excitement wasn't dampened. "What did She say?"

"She gave me instructions." Hazel replied, keeping his jaw straight as he tied off the bandage and allowed himself to move his arm, letting it flex to check that the tie was going to hold. "For what to do."

"What does She-"

"Maidens." Hazel cut Tyrian off before he could even ask the question. "She wants us to hunt down the maidens for her."

"But they are just legends-"

"You know better than to think all legends are just stories, Tyrian." Hazel grumbled. "She's given us a task."

"So we should tell the others then." Tyrian suggested, looking Hazel in the eyes. "And prepare to leave."

"Yes." Hazel grumbled. He pulled on his coat and tried to see how much of his injury it was going to be able to cover. Ultimately it wasn't all that much, and that wasn't the worst problem. They were collectively more than used to waking up with strange wounds. "But it should wait until morning."

Tyrian nodded in understanding, squirming like he had far more energy that he strictly needed. He was going to be fine, Hazel was sure of it. Hazel nodded over towards Tyrian's bedroll, and Tyrian went there obediently, making himself comfortable as he flopped down there.

Hazel was sure that he wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep, though.

He might have waited for an hour, just long enough to be able to ensure that Tyrian was fast asleep. Once he was sure, Hazel got up, stretched, and made his way out of their camp. The least that he could do for them was get a good read of the area and try to figure out their best course of action to begin with.

The next few hours of Hazel's life managed to go by without much of interest. There was a moment when he had looked up at the moon and watched a pack of grimm pass it by. They had no interest in him, or in man.

They were the same sorts of grimm that Hazel had watched with the others the night before Cinder had come into their lives. If it meant anything in particular, Hazel didn't know what.

But the morning would break, and Hazel would return to camp with some plans in mind.

When he got back, Tyrian, Watts, and Cinder were all up. The three of them were gathered around a fire while something cooked on it. Hazel figured that they had decided to use some of their rations.

"Well, look who has finally decided to join us." Watts commented, poking at the fire to check that it was still burning properly. "What made you disappear on us, Hazel?"

"Perimeter check." Hazel grumbled as he took a seat by the fire. "We need to discuss our plans."

Watts stared at him and narrowed his eyes, and the way that they flicked down to Hazel's arm told him everything. "I see." He replied. "And what has she told you about our job?"

Hazel paused and looked between all four of them before finally letting himself explain. "She wants us to hunt down the maidens." Hazel explained, holding himself so that he was as calm as possible. "And he wants for Cinder to act as the vessel for their power."

Cinder seemed to jolt at that. She picked her head up and stared at him, one eye wide and surprised. "She wants me to-"

"Yes." Hazel replied. "It will be long and grueling work." He said, sitting upright. "We'll have to track them, and to make sure that the power is secure..."

"We'll have to kill them." Watts filled in the blank, a slow, creeping smile making its way across his face. "One by one. Did she specify-"

"Fall first." Hazel snapped. "There's a village not far from here. We should start there and work our way out once we hear something."

Watts nodded then looked across as Cinder, still grinning.

"You will be great and powerful, girl." The doctor hissed. "Maybe it'll even be able to make up for that lost eye of yours. Although I doubt it."

"Watts." Hazel growled his response, standing up first because one of them was going to have to go ahead and act like a leader. "That was unnecessary. Get your things together, we need to be ready to leave immediately."

The others were silent for a long moment, but Hazel didn't say anything else. He just went to his bedroll and began to pack it up. They had a long day ahead of them, and it was going to be up to him to act as their leader.

One of them had to be at the head of the beast, after all.

* * *

"Ready for a mission?" Yang asked, bouncing just slightly as the four of them approached the city boundaries. The four of them had gotten news the night before that they needed to be out by the Vale gates for a certain time, and all of them had known immediately what it meant.

It meant mostly that they didn't get much of any sleep, all four of them buzzing with excitement and talk. Yang was glad that the four of them had some leftovers that had been passed along to them to enjoy.

"Sure am!" Ruby exclaimed, matching pace with Yang. "What if we're going to be on another mission like with Doctor Oobleck?" She paused, blinking widely. "Oh, what if we get to get closer to that grimm, or-"

"I think that's unlikely." Blake commented, smiling and seeming a little bit more open about her situation than she normally would have been. "But, I'm not opposed to a mission."

"I think that it'll be a nice opportunity for us to improve." Weiss added, walking calmly and holding her head up high. "We'll just have to see."

Yang smiled and stretched her arms just slightly, feeling just a bit more relaxed than she probably should have. Weiss, Blake, and Ruby were all seeming pretty calm as well, and that was just a good thing.

It meant that they were less likely to get stressed out and mess up.

"I just hope we end up with someone cool." Yang said smiling as the four of them reached the gate. None of them said much to each other, but she watched as Ruby, Weiss, and Blake all took their own positions while they wait. "And if we get to see something out there that's cool, I'm game."

"It's going to be dangerous." Blake said, and Yang didn't miss for a second the way that the raven haired girl seemed to stiffen and get more nervous. Blake leaned against the gate, crossing her arms over her chest and looking out down the road like she was expecting something out there. "No matter what."

"I'm sure we can take them." Ruby said, smiling and seeming to bounce in her step. "I mean, whatever we run into. Uh... maybe not that giant grimm, but we can probably take anything else."

Weiss looked hesitant, her eyes downcast and her nervousness becoming more apparent. "I wouldn't be so sure." She offered. "There are a lot of things out there."

"There are." Blake added, staring Yang and Ruby both down. "And we aren't going to be able to take most of them." She hesitated. "No matter how much we might want to or we might think we can."

Yang gave Blake a weird look, if only because she didn't really know what she was supposed to say to that. The constant pushing of the idea that there was something out there was something that Yang wasn't sure of. All that she really got out of it was that Blake was maybe a little bit paranoid.

"We can't control everything." Yang said, letting herself get a little bit more quiet. "It's just a mission. If we run into something, we'll deal with it. If we don't, we'll be fine." She shrugged. "Worrying constantly isn't really going to get us anywhere, you know?"

"Right." Blake said, and she didn't sound like she was convinced at all.

The best that they could do now was just wait things out and see how they went.

Yang leaned back against the gate and stared down the path that led out of the city. They couldn't leave Vale without their mentor with them, and Yang knew that just as well as her teammates did. She was sure that if she checked her scroll she'd find that they were perfectly on time.

And if they were on time, then that meant that their mentor was late.

The road was clear, having been looked after recently by the looks of things. Yang couldn't see as far down it as she would have liked, but if it was safe just outside of the city that was a good thing.

The sight of a black bird flying down their way over the road made Yang's heart jump in her chest.

"Ruby." Yang called, looking over at her sister. "Look."

Ruby looked up and her expression lit up all at once a wide smile stretching across her face. "Uncle Qrow!" She called, practically hopping where she was standing. "We're going with Uncle Qrow!"

Yang watched as the bird shifted into a man, Qrow landing as he ran towards them before stopping nearby. "Hey, kids." Qrow greeted them, smiling down across all of them. "You're the ones I'm babysitting?"

"Yeah," Yang deadpanned. "Apparently."

"Not bad." Qrow joked, stretching and bringing his hands up to rest behind his head. "You been told your mission yet?"

"Nah." Ruby replied. "Professor Ozpin said that our mentor was going to tell us everything."

"Right." Qrow muttered, rubbing at the side of his head. "I'll explain while we walk, no use in standing around like this."

The four girls looked amongst each other, some looking more unsure and nervous about this than others. Ruby looked ecstatic, but Weiss seemed unsure and Blake was... Well, Blake.

Yang supposed that there were a lot of ways that this could be worse than it was. It wasn't like Qrow would do anything to let them get hurt, and he knew what they fought like. If anything, he was going to give them the space to work.

And that? Yang liked that.

Ruby was the first to shrug and move to follow after Qrow, and once she got moving the rest of them did. Weiss fell into step beside Ruby, and Yang and Blake followed soon after her. Once Qrow was sure that they were following after him, he began to talk.

"So." Qrow sighed, reaching back to check that his sword was there. "Last I heard, you kids have been on a mission to see the scary monster before." He said calmly. "Which means that most of this will be nothing to you."

"So... it's just a recon mission?" Yang asked, knowing that she managed to come off as being pretty disappointed. "That's..."

"Part of being a hunter." Qrow said with a shrug. "It's not all glamor and killing giants. A lot of what you do is gather information."

"It's pretty boring though." Ruby whined. "I want to be a huntress."

"Well, this is part of that." Qrow shrugged. "Nothing big. Just a mission."

"Still boring." Ruby pouted, looking up at Qrow like he had just somehow managed to break her little heart.

If Qrow had any particular thoughts or feelings on it, he surely wasn't showing it. He just kind of snorted out his nose and continued his walk ahead.

"The point is that you won't be doing the most glamourous stuff this time." He shrugged. "These woods haven't been that interesting since you kids were real little, aside from the occasional giant monster."

Yang rolled her eyes and looked over at Blake. Blake just shrugged, looking bored as she kept on walking. Weiss also did the same, not saying all that much while Qrow kept on talking.

"So," Yang spoke up, because at the very least she was somewhat sure that she would be able to coax some answers out of her uncle about what they were doing. There had to be more to this mission than them just walking out in the woods again. "What're we even looking for?" Yang asked.

"Look up." Qrow said, clicking his tongue with some sort of playful disapproval. "You'll be able to see it just fine."

"I mean beside from that." Yang responded, narrowing her eyes at her uncle. "We can easily tell that it's' getting closer, but..." She paused. "What else is there?"

"Right now?" Qrow shrugged. "Nothing to be concerned with. Later, who knows."

Ruby pouted again, muttering something under her breath that sounded like 'I hate it when you're cryptic."

Qrow probably heard it, but the way that he carried on told Yang that he didn't particularly care. If something was wrong, then he was going to be willing to get things done.

That was what Yang was sure of, more than anything else.


	28. The Beringel

The feeling of her aura snapping back to herself when she collided with a tree left Weiss feeling a little more than winded. There was an exhaustion already trying to cling to her bones, but Weiss forced herself back upright.

They hadn't been prepared for a fight quite like this. Carrying weapons had felt like a precaution in a lot of ways, since their one major threat would be kept at a relatively safe distance from them.

When they'd left Vale, their team had been under the impression that they were simply walking out to see how the giant grimm was moving towards the city. Mostly, they were supposed to be tracking its path and see whether or not it had gotten closer in any meaningful way.

That had all changed when they'd stumbled on a hole in the ground that was practically oozing with black sludge.

Within seconds of that, they had been _attacked_.

Qrow was standing out of the way, because he wanted to see how they could do against a _real_ grimm. The sort of grimm that had once been _normal._

That didn't mean that they were doing so well with it themselves.

She got her legs under her and stepped in towards the grimm, which looked like a gorilla. It was much stronger than she had been prepared for, and so far all it had managed to do was throw the four of them around like they were nothing.

And Weiss was getting tired.

"Ruby!" Weiss called to the girl, who had just landed up in the treetops nearby. Ruby looked down at her, then to the grimm that was between the four of them.

Qrow had somehow managed to disappear out of view entirely, and that was even more worrying than anything.

"Yeah?" Ruby called back, doing her best to focus on the grimm. She was shifting her weapon, and Weiss already had a feeling that gunfire wasn't going to get them anywhere.

However, it was as best as they could hope for.

"It's too strong!"

"No, it's not!" Yang roared from the ground, sprinting towards the grimm and reeling her arm back so that she could throw a strong punch at it. "We're going to-"

The grimm turned on Yang, and Weiss watched as it stood up on its short legs, bringing an arm back to return the hit.

It slammed into Yang, and Yang was thrown back so hard that she actually managed to go through one of the trees.

Someone needed to help, Weiss thought as she turned her attention to her teammate. She waved Myrtenaster, thinking hard on what she could do.

If she was going to be able to freeze the grimm, she needed to be able to get in close, but she was already hurt. This wasn't ideal, and Weiss had no idea how to move forward.

She watched as Yang stood up, and her hair looked like it was somehow glowing and about to light on fire, her eyes blazing violent red. Yang stalked towards the grimm, slow and prepared.

"Ruby, we need to-"

Ruby didn't even get a chance to reply before there was a gunshot and one of the forms of Blake's weapon came rocketing out of the trees.

It wound around the grimm's chest, the bladed end of the kusarigama embedding itself in the soft red part there. The grimm cried out in pain, and Weiss watched as the grimm was pulled off balance.

Yang took the cue and sprinted back in, hitting the gorilla in the face so hard that it looked like there was a burst outwards.

Almost as quickly, the grimm dropped to the ground, and Weiss heard one more gunshot, coming from Ruby's position.

The bullet hit the grimm, and it dissipated so quickly that Weiss could barely even keep track of it.

"Not bad." Qrow called, sitting up in one of the trees. He looked calm, bored even. It made Weiss' stomach turn at the thought. "For a bunch of kids."

"What do you mean for a bunch of kids?" Yang called back, and she looked like she was doing her best to calm herself down. Weiss didn't know what to do, and so she just used a last glyph to allow herself to get back to ground without injury.

"Good question." Qrow replied. "Pop quiz, any of you know what that was called?"

All four of them fell back into line, and the way that they exchanged a look down the line told Weiss that none of them knew. She hadn't exactly been able to get that sort of knowledge herself at home, and classes hadn't presented many giant gorillas.

When none of them replied, Qrow took it as a chance to keep talking and explain how he was feeling about the whole thing.

"That, girls, was called a Beringel." Qrow explained with a shrug. "They're mostly known for being able to beat the everloving crap out of you. It's been a long time since I've seen one."

"So why did we see it?" Weiss asked, still feeling exhausted. The sensation practically clung to her every bone, but she did her best to stand up tall. "If they haven't been around."

"I dunno." Qrow snapped. His eyes tore away from them as he glanced back in the direction of the pool of sludge that they'd found. "But it's a big deal."

Weiss didn't like the way that her stomach flipped over that statement. If they had just encountered something that was going to have serious, large-scale ramifications, then how were they supposed to move on? Would they report back to Vale, or…

Qrow looked between the four of them and sighed. "You kids stick together for a minute. I've got to make a call back to Oz."

With that, their mentor slipped off and out of view. If they were going to have some time as a team, then Weiss was sure that they needed to talk about it.

She looked to Ruby first, then Yang. Weiss was sure that if any of them knew the situation around Vale well, it had to be them.

There was a long moment of silence, and Weiss wasn't surprised at all when Ruby was the first to talk.

"So we just fought a real grimm." Ruby started, and Weiss couldn't help but think that she looked a little like she was in disbelief. All of their worlds had just flipped upside down, and none of them knew what to do with it. "The first one in…"

"Yeah," Blake sighed, and she wrapped her arms around herself like she needed a hug. Her black hair hanged down in front of her face almost like a curtain. "We did."

"So what does this mean?" Yang asked, holding her head high and squinting at the distance, searching out any other threats. "The last people that fought real grimm like that were back when we were all kids."

"I don't know what it means." Weiss said, trying to ignore her own worries. "But if there are small grimm and a giant one outside of Vale, what does it mean for the other kingdoms?" She paused. "In Atlas they've always relied on the cold or the military to keep monsters away, but now..."

Ruby bit her lower lip. "Maybe we're going to have to talk to professor Ozpin when we get back to Vale." She offered. "I mean... they're the one that would need to know this, right?"

"But Qrow's already calling Ozpin. If we end up seeing them..." Yang shrugged. "It'll probably be Qrow doing all of the talking, you know that right?"

"Yang's right." Weiss sighed. "I just don't like this."

Blake picked her head up and looked out towards the black pool, searching for something the same way that Yang had. "We aren't the only ones out on a mission." She said in a way that struck Weiss as being far too calm for the situation that they were in. "Which means that it is possible that other teams have encountered grimm."

Weiss nodded and looked down at the ground, grinding her toe into the dirt road.

Road.

"What about travellers?" She offered, looking back up and feeling a spike of cold through her heart. "What if..."

Weiss watched in horror as the looks of fear began to settle over her teammates faces. The stakes had just been raised, and she couldn't help a slight jab of guilt that came over the realization.

But at the same time, she couldn't regret it. Not when the possibility that someone was going to get hurt that didn't have the benefits of being heavily armed like they were.

"That'd be..." Blake started to speak, hugging herself and looking away from the rest of them. Her gaze settled far off, away from the city and even further away from them. "That'd be bad."

"Yeah." Weiss said, looking down at her feet. Grinding her toe into the dirt on the road a little bit more. "It'd be... bad."

The sound of a twig snapping brought all four of them to attention, with Blake even sinking into a position like she was preparing for a fight.

Sure enough, it was just Qrow standing there.

"Uncle Qrow?" Yang asked, looking at him and staring him down. "What did Ozpin say?"

Qrow sighed heavily and waved a hand. "We're going to finish our patrol, then head straight back." He explained calmly. "They're alerting the other teams that are out in the field and with any luck nobody's going to get hurt."

That didn't help. It didn't make anyone feel any better about the situation or any more relaxed. Weiss wasn't going to be able to calm down until she was back in Vale, she was all but certain of it.

"Alright." Ruby said, hugging herself now. Not doing well at all. None of them were. How were they supposed to? "So I guess we're just going to... keep going?"

Qrow looked down the road, searching for something. He was on just as high alert as the rest of them it seemed. "Yeah." He said quietly. "I know that's probably not what you guys want to do, but now recon is more important than it was when we left."

"Right." Weiss said quietly.

Qrow gave them a few more minutes to recuperate and relax before he began to walk. It was a way that he could keep the others calm, and Weiss didn't have any choice but to fall into line behind him.

Ruby and Blake ended up at her sides, and Yang trailed behind like she was ready for a fight at any second. Protective as always.

No matter how safe she was with the team, Weiss didn't know that she was actually going to be able to calm down as much as she needed.

But, that was just one of the curses of their trip, it seemed.

And that was fine.

* * *

Watts sat in the front of the inn, with a glass in front of him and Hazel across from him. The two of them were able to play along with the setting easily enough. Tyrian was off scouting out the area outdoors, and Cinder was up in their room, supposedly resting.

They'd been brought to this specific village in search of a lead for the maidens. There was something that Hazel wasn't telling him, and Watts was absolutely certain of it.

Hazel was sitting, braced against the table and swirling his glass in his hand.

Watts was about to say something, to try and break the silence, when he heard a voice from across the inn's bar room.

"-I swear, she ripped the leaves off of the trees!" A man exclaimed, waving his arms about as he told an absolutely outlandish story. "Turned them to ice. Scary as all hell. You can't even imagine-" The man droned on, and Watts paid some attention to it in the background of his mind.

And that was certainly a strange story, Watts thought. He looked across the table at Hazel. Hazel understood him without a word needing to be said between the two of them. Surely he was going to do everything that he could to commit the story to memory.

Watts was sure that he could do him one better.

For that reason, he reached into his pocket and removed his trusty scroll. Watts bypassed the initial lockscreen and went straight to a recording application. This way, he was going to have an audio log for them to follow and refer back to later on.

Since he doubted that it would matter, Watts opted to set his scroll down on the table between the two of them.

The man across the bar continued on in his story. A quick glance over told Watts that he'd even gathered a small crowd around him. If either he or Hazel wanted to, they could head over and join in. For now, it didn't seem like it would be worth it to do so.

"Where did you see this?" A skeptical voice asked, the owner of it scoffing in disbelief. "That doesn't sound like any semblance I've heard of."

"I know!" The storyteller barked, slamming his glass down on the table in front of him. "I didn't believe it either. If I'd gotten to talk to the girl I would have, but that wasn't possible."

"So where did you see her?" The skeptic asked again.

He hesitated for a long time before finally coming up with his explanation. "Mistral's a big continent." The man explained calmly. "I saw her on the way to Oniyuri. She had a horse though, so she's probably not even out there anymore."

"And she toppled a grimm _alone_?"

"I swear on it." The man mumbled. "Before my very eyes."

Watts looked across at Hazel and Hazel just sighed and nodded. Neither of them wanted to follow a trail out to a village like Oniyuri. It was better than spending time in Kuroyuri or one of the other remaining ravaged villages that dotted Anima. Either way, it was sure to drag up a lot of problems for them to go.

Hazel got up, stretching and went to the bar like he was expecting to find something there. Hazel leaned in and said a few words to the barkeeper that Watts wasn't able to catch, and then he made off on his way up to the room. Presumably he was looking to tell Cinder what the update in the situation was.

After that, it was going to be up to one of them to go and find Tyrian. As useless as the man tended to be, Watts couldn't deny that he had his place among them. Especially considering that he had been Salem's mouthpiece of choice for so long.

Watts ended up sitting there for a long time, just listening along to the story before he finally decided that he'd heard enough. He finished his drink and gathered his thing before making his way up to the room to see that Cinder and Hazel were sitting on opposite sides of a bed, some sort of lesson going on in the space between them.

They both looked up at him and Watts took his place on the edge of the bed between them. "We're leaving first thing in the morning." He explained as calmly as he could. There was a moment of hesitation before he looked over at Cinder. "Have you ever been to Oniyuri, girl?"

"No." Cinder croaked back at him. "I haven't."

Watts looked to Hazel and raised an eyebrow.

"I know the way." Hazel said, managing to come off as so sad through every word. There was something that they were going to have to confront, but Watts didn't know what it would be. He supposed it would be a matter of time before he could really find out.

Watts was sure that there was a reason for it. Something that Hazel had kept locked up deep down in his chest that he'd never wanted to show. Eventually things would come to light. Watts was sure of it.

"Of course." Watts said, looking directly across the table at Hazel. "I suppose that means that we should begin on our travels, shouldn't we?"

Hazel hesitated, looking over at Cinder and hesitating. He was taking his time to make a decision, Watts realized. The four of them had spent so much of their time on the road that it was time for them to find a way to rest.

Relaxation wasn't going to be something that would come so easily when the situation with money was brought into perspective. That wasn't to say that Watts couldn't arrange methods of payments for their stays in the future. Usually it was a matter of them making agreements to do work around a village.

That hadn't been necessary lately, but Watts was certain that it was only a matter of time before it got worse.

"We should take an extra night or two to rest." Hazel suggested finally. "Ensure that all four of us will be in proper shape for such a journey."

"Because getting to Oniyuri will be such a concern." Watts responded with a roll of his eye. The chance was there for them to run into trouble but he had his doubts. Regardless of what had happened in recent times, Watts was sure that they could handle it.

The girl could fight, as could Tyrian. Hazel was one of the best fighters that he knew, and then Watts was also able to fight for himself.

Not that he ever needed to do so. The others were always able to get things finished before he ever needed to lift a finger. Watts definitely preferred it that way, since dirtying his hands rarely offered him any benefit.

"It will be if they aren't rested." Hazel growled back at him. "You and I can make the trip with no trouble, but we can't count on the others."

Cinder was still sitting there and Watts couldn't help but to smile when he saw the way that her expression contorted into anger. If anything, it meant that he was going to have a better way to get under Cinder's skin. That was a good thing for him.

It was just another way that he was going to be able to make sure that he got what he wanted out of the girl when they were in the field.

"I suppose that if you are so adamant on us staying, then I'm willing to do so." Watts replied, leaning back where he was sitting and ignoring as a crystal of dust brushed up against his hand. "But it will be up to you to decide how we will pay for our stays." Watts stared Hazel down with that, and the large man sighed.

He just got up to his feet, looked to Cinder apologetically, and then left the room. That in itself was good enough for Watts. It also left him alone with Cinder for a moment.

Watts looked down at her and stared into her eye. "Will you be well to travel?" He asked, knowing that he managed to come off as being completely bored in the process. "We can't afford for you to drag us down, Cinder. I'm sure that you know that."

And there it was, that tell-tale frustration written so clearly across Cinder's face. Watts saw the way that her jaw tightened and her one eye narrowed. The girl balled her hands into fists, and that told him everything that he needed to know.

Instead of giving the girl a chance to say anything, Watts got to his feet and wandered over to his own bed. "Good." He muttered. "You'll be sure to keep that in mind."

He'd gotten everything that he needed, he was sure of it.

Now it was just a question of where they ended up going and how they ended up going later on.


	29. Threat Evaluation

Ozpin was nervous about everything that was going to happen once Qrow arrived in their office with the team had been assigned to him for their apparently _very_ interesting mission. The news out of the forests had been alarming to say the least, and without hearing from everyone that had been involved directly Ozpin didn't know what they had to look forward to. They were at least in part glad for the fact that their office was empty.

It gave them so much more freedom for the conversation when it would be desperately needed.

The door opened, and soon the team streamed in, with Qrow following close after them. He was looking a bit more than frazzled, and the girls looked like they were excited in the worst possible way. That had to be expected, Ozpin thought sadly. It was probably the first time that any of them had ever gotten so close to any sort of grimm in their entire lives.

"Hello." Ozpin greeted the five of them, leaning against the desk behind them and letting their cane balance in front of them. "I'm glad to see all of you back and intact."

"Thanks, Oz." Qrow said, taking his usual position at one of the pillars towards the back of the room and making himself comfortable there. It seemed that he wanted to stay out of the way and let the girls take the lead on this meeting. That was a good thing, Ozpin thought. The two of them had already talked a little bit about the grimm, but there was always concerns.

Besides, knowing what the students had seen was good. It would give them better perspective on what had happened.

Sure enough, the four girls understood well enough and they fell into a line in front of Ozpin's desk. All four of them waited, gazing towards them, and so Ozpin sighed, shook their head and decided that it was time for them to get started.

"I hear that you all saw something very interesting in the field." Ozpin said calmly. "It would do me a great favor if all of you would explain what happened."

The four girls looked at each other, all nervous. Finally, one of them decided to take the lead and begin to explain. Of course, Ozpin thought as the tiny girl crept forward, staring up at them with silver eyes. Ruby Rose.

"We were walking with Uncle Qrow and we were talking about-" She paused, looking back to her older sister who just gave her a thumbs up. "Classes and stuff." With those words, Ruby brought her attention back forward. "But then we found a pond, but it was all… black. And the water was really thick looking, like sludge almost?"

That detail alone was enough to make the characteristic feeling of dread begin to rise up in Ozpin's chest. While it was true that they and Qrow would both know what it meant, it wasn't necessarily easy to simply accept that what they had seen had indeed been one of Salem's spawning pools. To hear it from students who had never seen such a thing...

Well, it made it more of a reality. It meant that Ozpin was going to have to start having more important meetings left and right. They would need to talk to James for sure, and then they would probably have to reach out to the other two headmasters as soon as they got a chance.

They let out a quiet sigh and nodded slowly.

"Of course." They said quietly. "Did any of you try to touch it?"

The girls all looked amongst each other, but Qrow spoke up before any of them could say something on the matter.

"I told them not to, Oz." Qrow explained, sauntering forward and sliding his hands down into his pockets in the process. "Figured it was best not to take the risk and get any of them hurt."

Ozpin nodded in understanding. "A wise choice, Qrow." They paused, thinking hard on what they needed to say to him. The two of them were going to be left with a situation that was going to require more attention and a more careful hand than would normally be used for the situation. "Why don't you girls tell me about the grimm that you encountered?"

"Oh!" Ruby spoke up, and Ozpin watched as she practically bounced where she was standing. "It was like a big gorilla. I think Uncle Qrow said that it was a beringel? We fought it ourselves but it was really strong. Like, way worse than we have trained against."

"Well, real grimm are nothing like what you would fight in a simulation." Ozpin explained, because they really didn't have much better that they could say. "The simulations try to be the closest to the real thing, but nothing quite matches what a real monster is capable of."

They paused, and another question occurred to them that they would need to deal with. There was always the problem where the girls had surely never seen a proper grimm in the wild before. They wouldn't have any frame of reference for what dealing with one would be like aside from the simulations. "Did you four manage to defeat it without intervention?"

"We did." Weiss spoke up. "And it just... turned into dust. Or smoke."

"Good." Ozpin said. "The four of you may return to your rooms and get some rest. I believe the grand hall will still have food at this time for you to enjoy."

The four girls looked at each other and Ruby shrugged, beginning on her way out of the room with her teammates trailing after her. They were a fine group of students, Qrow thought, but they weren't going to be the most important thing for them to talk about that day.

But now that they were with Qrow alone, then it was time for them to talk to him about everything.

"Did it seem intelligent?" Ozpin asked, once the students were well out of earshot. Even still, they dropped their volume a bit so that they could worry a little bit less. That didn't make it any better. "The beringel."

"Nah," Qrow shrugged, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his flask. Ozpin felt a slight pang of guilt because they'd been expecting that Qrow would be feeling stressed over all of this. "It seemed like the way that they used to be, maybe a bit tougher but an inexperienced team makes it hard to judge." He paused, swirling his flask and staring down into it. "I did a quick survey of the area from the skies during the night and I didn't see any other signs of grimm or spawning sites."

"Good." Ozpin sighed. "That means that she hasn't gotten so powerful that we won't be able to protect the people."

"Yet." Qrow said with a certain sort of snarl in his voice. "Oz, we've got to have plans for how to deal with this stuff sooner than later or we're going to end up with a lot of problems. Dead people, ruined villages, you know how it is."

Ozpin nodded slowly. "I was already planning to have meetings with some of the other headmasters with regard to this. You know just as well as I do that James will find it of great interest."

"So you're going to call a meeting, then?"

"I'll have no choice but to do so." Ozpin sighed, feeling some frustration bubbling up that they weren't going to be able to ignore that easily. "If it will do something to protect the people of Remnant."

Qrow nodded. "I just hope that we're going to be able to handle it all in time, Oz."

"As do I, Qrow." They sighed, reaching for their own mug and bringing it up to their mouth so that they could begin to drink from it. "Have you gone to meet with your sister yet?" Ozpin asked, because that was all that they could really do at that point. Without knowing that information, moving on was going to be completely impossible and Ozpin was sure of it.

Qrow grimaced and drank from his flask again, showing a slight snarl of annoyance when he realized that his flask was completely empty at that point. "Yeah," he grumbled. "I went to see her."

"And?"

"It's Raven so we knew that we weren't going to get anything out of it." Qrow explained with a sigh. "Like every time, it turned into me and her arguing over family and the tribe and..." he paused, and Ozpin wished that they could do do anything to make sure that Qrow was going to be okay. They couldn't do anything to keep Qrow from getting into trouble or hurting himself, and that was one of those major problems that Ozpin couldn't ignore.

"I understand." Ozpin said calmly. "Thank you for going to her, Qrow. I know that it isn't easy for you to make that sort of trip."

"Thanks, Oz." Qrow sighed, capping his flask and putting it away so that he would be less distracted by all of it. "It means a lot."

"Of course." They stepped away from the desk, setting their mug back down and balancing using their cane. "I should be getting to James' office and altering Professor Goodwitch of the situation." Ozpin explained because that was all that they could do at that point.

"I'll come with." Qrow grumbled, falling into step beside Ozpin before the two of them went off towards the wing of the building where James was sure to be. The good thing about the General's stay in Vale was that he wasn't spending so much of his time at work. He would do a guest class or fill in for professors if he was needed, but otherwise James kept to himself and did his own job.

To Ozpin's knowledge, James wouldn't be busy at all. Glynda was sure to still be in classes when they got there.

Ozpin and Qrow walked down to James' office together, and when they were just outside of the door it occurred to Ozpin that there was a second voice coming from inside. It was a woman's voice, one that they had heard a few times before.

Perhaps disturbing James at that time would be a bad idea, but if the situation was as serious as they thought, it wasn't going to matter at the end.

Ozpin stepped up to the door and knocked on it.

They heard James mumble something to the woman before calling that he was on his way.

When James opened the door he was out of his great coat, and looking mostly comfortable in his vest and shirt. He also looked exhausted, but Ozpin wasn't going to read into that too deeply. James tended to exhaust himself and that was anything but a secret.

"Ozpin?" James asked. "What is it?"

"Something has changed." Ozpin said calmly enough. "Is now a bad time to speak?"

James looked back over his shoulder and sighed before pushing the door open. "It's not." He said calmly. "I'll see to it that Specialist Schnee is on her way out."

"Nah," Qrow spoke up, and Ozpin felt the hairs on the back of their neck rise over it. Specialist Schnee meant that they were going to have some problems to deal with in the very near future, and all of them were going to have to do with the fact that Qrow enjoyed causing trouble and running his mouth a little too much. If Qrow was going to go looking for a fight, Ozpin wasn't sure that this was a situation that they wanted to have to go into.

It only left Ozpin feeling more than very sure that they were all going to have a mess to contend with in the very near future. But, if James and themself were going to stay aware of it all, then perhaps the two of them could minimize the damage.

There was an annoyed tension and twitch to James' jaw but the general stepped aside and opened the door wider to invite Ozpin and Qrow both in. Sure enough, Winter Schnee was there, seated by his desk and any relaxation that she'd had in her ebbed out all at once as soon as he saw Qrow.

"Hello, specialist." Ozpin greeted her with a slight bow, and was surprised and pleased to find James getting them a seat. The specialist eyed them suspiciously, but did get up to her feet to give a polite Atlesian bow.

"Professor Ozpin." Winter said, keeping her voice as rigid as ever. "I heard what you did for my sister. You have my gratitude."

"Thank you," Ozpin replied as they carefully lowered themself down into the seat that James had gotten for them. "It was really no trouble. She returned from a mission today, if you plan to see her."

Winter's eyes widened, and if she wanted to act and show how she was feeling more openly, she didn't. Instead it seemed that the girl was just training down everything in a very traditionally Atlesian way. "I was not aware of that." She said, her voice still stilted. "Thank you."

"Yes," James said, going back behind his desk and pouring a fresh cup of coffee that was soon offered to Ozpin. "Thank you. Now-" James paused, staring Qrow down in a way that managed to be rather threatening. Ozpin wished that it was something that they hadn't been expecting. "To what do I owe the honor of having you two here?"

Ozpin was about to begin explaining, but Qrow took the spotlight for himself.

"I just got back from a mission with Princess' little sister and some other girls." Qrow began to explain, perching himself on James' desk in a way that was all but surely meant to irritate. It clearly worked, if the way that the general grit his teeth was an indication. "We ran into some trouble."

"Bandits?" James asked, sounding almost bored but very irritated.

"Nah," Qrow laughed. "If it was bandits, it wouldn't be worth talking about." He hesitated. "A beringel."

James and Winter both went silent and rigid at that. The two of them exchanged a surprised look before James took the lead to further questioning. "How big was it?"

"Normal by pre-fall standards." Qrow said with a shrug that was too nonchalant. "Kids were able to take it down, but since we also found a spawning pool..."

James stared at Qrow and his jaw twitched in concern before he looked at Winter. "Miss Schnee," He started calmly. "Why don't you go and see your little sister?"

"But, sir-"

"Winter." James sighed. "Please."

The Schnee woman stared at him with a look of betrayal on her face. Ozpin couldn't help but feel bad, since this girl clearly understood that she was being held out of a conversation. But, James was her commander and had the right to request her absence.

"Of course, sir." Winter replied, clicking her heels together and giving a salute before marching out the door and closing it behind her.

James watched her go and sighed heavily.

"Too much like her mother, right?" Qrow scoffed. "I swear, Jimmy-"

"Qrow." Ozpin interrupted. " _Enough_."

James shot Qrow a look that was a little bit more than disapproving, holding his jaw shut and tight. Ozpin had always made a point not to get too deeply involved in the lives of their coworkers, and now this was something that they wanted absolutely no part in. And Qrow was going to make it difficult for everyone, it seemed.

But Qrow looked between the two of them with a sneer on his lips before rolling his eyes. "Yeah," He muttered. "Sure. Why don't you take the lead on this, Oz."

"I would if I had more to do with what happened out in the field, Qrow." Ozpin reprimanded. "Unlike yourself, I didn't have a direct look at what is going on out in the woods."

James nodded and leaned back in his seat, trying to make himself feel a little bit more comfortable. Ozpin figured that this conversation was going to end up being stressful for everyone involved. It was a matter of time before that happened, at the very least.

But James took in a deep breath and looked to Qrow with laser focus. "You said that you saw a spawning pool out in the forest?"

"I did." Qrow responded. "And it's apparently active enough that a beringel was able to climb out of it." He paused, his brow furrowing. "And I wouldn't exactly be surprised to find out that there are more out in the forest like it."

James nodded slowly, and Ozpin watched as he hunched over his desk. He tapped a button on the side of it, and all of them watched as a hologram of the world of remnant appeared over top of it. James peeled off his glove and revealed the metallic hand there before reaching in towards the map and pulling at it.

The map rapidly zoomed in on Vale, and then on the kingdom outside of it. "Did you record coordinates?" James asked, looking to Qrow directly. "Because if you can give that we'll be able to keep track of it more actively."

Qrow just reached for his scroll and tossed it onto the desk. Ozpin watched as the hologram there rippled and shifted before re-stabilizing itself. It only was disturbed again when the General reached in for it with his flesh hand to lift it up.

James plotted Qrow's noted coordinates on the map and added a fast note to the map. "I'll send the map out to you, Ozpin." James explained calmly, looking down at it and pulling back to get a better idea of how far the pool was from the city. Presumably if that was the only pool to worry about, then they wouldn't have too much to be concerned with. A single pool couldn't keep up the output that would be necessary to destroy even a village.

That didn't mean that they couldn't be worrying about it now. It was only a matter of time before it could get out of hand, and once that happened, Vale was going to have hell to pay.

"Good." Ozpin replied, looking to James more directly and staring him in his eyes. The general didn't do anything to try and break the eye contact between the two of them, and that should have been worrying. James was doing his best to keep his composure for now, but Ozpin was sure that as soon as they and Qrow left the room the man was going to begin to scramble to make sure that he was going to be able to go back to Atlas and make sure that the situation was secure.

James looked between Ozpin and Qrow, his jaw still hard. Qrow looked to Ozpin as well, like he was looking for guidance. If Glynda had been in the room then this would have been easier. She would have been able to keep this a little bit more normal. Glynda was good at being one of the more stable heads in the room.

James spoke, though.

"I'll be contacting forces in Atlas to ensure the kingdom's safety. We'll have to hear from Mistral and Vacuo before anyone can move forward."

"And Menagerie?" Qrow asked, his brow furrowed. "They're as much of a part of this as any other kingdom is."

James and Ozpin exchanged a look.

As awful as it was to think, Menagerie's status as being outside of the realm of the actual kingdoms _was_ a problem. It left the island to the south without as many resources as a proper kingdom, and the population issues and general poverty was also an issue. None of which were easily solved.

"We'll see what we can do." Ozpin said finally, with a quiet sigh. "You know just as well as I do that getting in contact with the chieftains is difficult work. Regardless of how we contact them."

James nodded. "We can't necessarily afford to send people that far south to check in on the situation there. And the desert on that island is so dangerous that going out to check even without the threat of grimm would be difficult."

Qrow nodded. "So we'll stay on top of the situation as much as we can."

"Precisely." Ozpin sighed. "I'll do my best to contact Professor Lionheart in the coming days. James, you'll be working with Atlas and I can trust you to contact Shade Academy."

"Of course." James replied, setting a note on his own scroll that was going to go off as an alarm later on. "I'll be sure to report back to you as soon as possible."

Ozpin nodded. "And while I'm here, I'd like to speak to you about the presence of your specialist here in the city."

James sighed. "Miss Schnee is partially here to ensure that her little sister is taken care of." He explained as calmly as he could. Ozpin was fairly certain that there had been more to Qrow's jab than they had originally thought. Regardless, they weren't going to let themselves get pushed to the wayside.

"And I have to thank you for that." Ozpin replied. They looked over to Qrow. "How did Weiss Schnee seem on the mission?"

"Honest?" Qrow grumbled, and he actually managed to look a little bit distressed by the suggestion. "The kid's lagging behind in ability. She's home-taught and it shows. Seems to make up for it in raw talent. Schnee genes and all of that."

"We'll see what we can do." James mumbled, and Ozpin couldn't help but feel like the man was hoping to be able to remove himself from the conversation sooner than later. "I have some familiarity with spending time with Schnees on the battlefield. Winter is also a capable fighter and her presence in Vale can be used to our advantage." James hesitated for a long moment. "Besides, as long as the girl is here in Vale, I believe she will be able to act as a guardian of sorts for Weiss should she be needed to do so. If not-." His voice trailed off, and Ozpin decided not to pry.

Ozpin nodded. "Good." They said, standing up and drinking from the mug of coffee that James had passed them upon their arrival with Qrow. "Thank you for your time, James. I can trust that you will only act in Vale's best interests."

James nodded. "I intend to do as much, but I need to know that I will have the permission to act. If the situation is dire, I will not hesitate to call in another specialist on a more business-oriented basis than Miss Schnee is on."

And that- that was the biggest sign of there being a struggle to contend with later on. Ozpin was going to be able to keep an eye on James, that was something that they were certain of. That didn't mean that they didn't want to be stepped on.

"We'll be in touch." Ozpin said, knowing that they had managed to make themself only sound a little bit more uncomfortable. They needed to keep their head straight, and Ozpin reminded themself of that as they went to the door. They pulled the door open, and Qrow followed after them before the two of them left the General to his own devices.

Regardless, Ozpin was certain that they were going to have to do their best to keep an eye on the general to ensure that everything worked. Every mechanism was going to need watching.

And they had a good watcher at their side.

"Qrow." Ozpin said, as soon as the two of them were well out of earshot of the general's office. "If you could add the spawning location to your daily patrols outside of the city, you would be doing me a great service."

"Figured as much." Qrow said with an arrogant sort of shrug to his shoulders. "Consider it done."

And that was all that Ozpin could really ask him for. Aside for Qrow to stay out of trouble, that was all that they wanted at this point. Someone that could be there at their side to do their best to minimize the workload when it got too heavy.

"Thank you, Qrow." Ozpin said finally. "You may go off and do whatever it is you do."

Qrow eyed them warily and took a few steps away before sighing and heading off on his own. He was probably going to go home, or check up on the team that he'd brought back to Vale and make sure that they were doing okay. Whichever it would be, Ozpin trusted Qrow.

That was going to have to be more than enough for the time being.


	30. Dearest Sister

After their classes for the day had finished, Blake and Weiss walked back to their room together. Ruby and Yang had decided that they wanted to go home and check up on how their father Was doing, and so that left Weiss alone with Blake. It wasn't as though that was a bad thing. All of the worst of their problems had more or less been resolved at that point.

The two of them were starting to get closer and closer to each other all the time, getting more and more used to each other's presences. Weiss was even at a point where she honestly forgave Blake for what had happened in their entrance exam, regardless of the scar that she still wore and would wear for the rest of her life.

As of then, the two of them didn't have any plans for how the rest of their day was supposed to go. Classes were over and while if they wanted to they could have gone ahead and used a training room, Weiss and Blake were both tired.

Really, the only plan that the two of them had was that the two of them were going to be sure to get something to eat later on. Nothing special, just whatever they could get out of the mess hall. The food wasn't _that_ good, and that was something that Weiss wasn't too happy with. That didn't mean that she wasn't trying to get more used to it. Even then, she was sure that she was adjusting just fine on the whole.

Beacon was just different from the place where she'd been raised. Its people were different, and its schedules were similarly different.

What she hadn't been expecting was that she would come back to her room and find that the door was already open.

Weiss stopped and her hand snapped straight down to Myrtenaster at her waist. She didn't think that she was going to need to fight, but if someone had broken in-

Blake understood what was going on perfectly well, though. Weiss watched as her teammate removed her own weapon from her back before Weiss took a step or two back from the door.

At the very least, she could keep herself prepared for a fight.

"Blake." Weiss whispered, and Blake understood, taking the space at Weiss' side.

Weiss raised her sword in front of her and concentrated. A white glyph of her family's crest appeared over the doorknob of the door, and turned black and began to spin when Weiss commanded it to.

She needed to concentrate a little bit more, and then the door swung open, revealing the inside of their shared dorm.

There was someone in their room, it turned out.

Someone that was taller than Weiss, with hair like hers worn up in a bun. Someone that had fallen out of Weiss' life all but entirely years before.

Blake was about to spring into an attack of sorts, but Weiss spoke up before Blake could move at all.

"Winter?"

Her sister turned and stared at them both, with a book in her hands that she had all but assuredly been taking notes in. What kind of notes they were, Weiss didn't know. Winter looked at Weiss, and then at Blake, and then back at Weiss.

If there was any sort of excitement in Winter, it was immediately tamped down and brought under control. Winter snapped her book shut and slid it away into her pocket before standing facing Weiss and at attention.

"Weiss." Winter greeted her. "How are you, sister?"

"Winter!" Weiss sheathed her sword and rushed into the room for her sister. She leapt at Winter with open arms and was so glad to be received.

Blake lingered by the door, and it occurred very quickly to Weiss that she needed to do something to make things a little bit less awkward. At least make it clear that Winter wasn't a threat.

There was a rather immediate pang of guilt that told Weiss that she needed to turn to Blake and explain herself desperately. Leaving Blake out in the cold was not only rude- it was forgetting that she and Blake had already been looking into how they were supposed to spend their evening together.

Weiss pulled away from Winter and turned to Blake.

"Blake," Weiss began her explanation, looking back at her sister and then her teammate. "I suppose that I should probably introduce you. This is my sister, Winter."

Winter seemed to go stiff, like there was something serious going on in her head that she didn't want to admit to. Either way, she was giving Blake a look that was at least on some level unsure. Weiss didn't like it one bit, especially because she was Blake's teammate.

"Hello." Winter greeted Blake, holding her head high and looking down her nose the same way that their mother would. "Thank you for taking an interest in my sister."

Those words were more than enough to make Weiss' hairs rise on the back of her neck. It felt a bit too presumptuous, Winter was saying things that she didn't have any business saying.

Weiss was sure that Blake was annoyed by it as well, but her teammate was making quite an effort not to let it show at all. "Right." Blake said, looking over at Weiss before turning back to the door, giving an opening for privacy. "I guess that I'll see you later?"

And oh, there was that guilt building up in the pit of Weiss' stomach again. She was going to have to be able to do something later on to make sure that she could make it up to Blake. As things were, Weiss didn't like how this was going.

And she wasn't going to let this be a major obstacle anyhow.

"Right." Weiss said. She watched Blake leave and the door close behind her. Once she was ready, Weiss looked back over at her sister. "I suppose that you want to talk?"

"I would like to spend some time with you, yes." Winter said in that tone of voice that she used when she was trying to show that she was affectionate. It had been a long time since Weiss had last heard it, and she didn't mind that at all.

Weiss nodded to Winter and went over to her bed to set down her sword because she was sure that she wasn't going to need it that night anyways. If she was going to be doing normal things with Winter, then arming themselves was just unnecessary.

Once Weiss was done, she led the way out of the room, and Winter followed after her. It was only after the door closed that either of them felt like they could do anything to show affection from one to the other.

"Winter," Weiss asked, looking up at her sister and trying to figure out why Winter was even there in Vale in the first place. "What are you doing in Vale?"

"Officially, I am here on professional business which _is_ classified." Winter explained with a quiet sigh. "But I have been asked to try and spend some time with you while I am here in Vale."

"You were... asked?" Weiss leaned in towards her sister, squinting up at her. There was something so patently wrong about that statement that Weiss didn't know how she was supposed to make anything out of it. None of it made any sense, unless...

"Yes." Winter clarified. "I heard about what happened with..."

"Father." Weiss finished for her older sister.

She found that she wasn't able to do anything to keep the undeniable bitterness from seeping into her voice. The truth was that everything that had happened with regard to their family lately was still an open wound, and seeing Winter now...

There was a small part of Weiss that felt like it was just putting salt in a wound that didn't need it.

"Yes." Winter replied, looking away from Weiss in a way that showed that she was feeling guilty herself over the matter. "The general told me quite a bit about it. Apparently you and your teammates left quite an impression."

"Did he?" Weiss asked, blinking because that wasn't what she had been expecting. She had been sure that maybe their father would have reached out to Winter directly, but that was also wishful thinking. Winter wouldn't be contacted for family matters any sooner than Klein would have been.

Actually, Klein would have _assuredly_ been first.

"He did." Winter sighed, bringing her hands together behind her back as she and Weiss began to walk away from the room together. "He said that there was an... altercation?" Winter paused, and the way that she looked at Weiss really told Weiss everything that she could have ever needed to know about this.

Weiss reached up for her scarred cheek and rubbed at it gently, staring down at the ground as she did so. She couldn't think of anything that she could really say, and so Weiss just followed closely after her older sister.

"That..." Weiss paused, looking for the right words to describe something that wasn't going to ever be able to be described easily. "That's one way of putting it."

Winter stopped dead in her tracks. She reached out for Weiss, wrapped a hand around Weiss' wrist, and pulled her to a stop. Normally this was something that Weiss would have made some effort to escape from, but it was Winter, so she allowed it.

"So he did it." Winter stated, not needing to ask the question.

"He did." Weiss confirmed, pulling her arm back away from Winter. She wrapped her arms around herself in a poor imitation of a hug. It wasn't enough to help her calm down or relax, but it was something. "I'm sorry."

"You're... apologizing?"

"Should I not?" Weiss whispered. "I was the one that ruined our family this time."

"You haven't ruined anything, Weiss." Winter responded, her voice a little too hard and a little more confident than Weiss had been expecting. "You did what you wanted with your life. Him demonizing you for it doesn't change that."

And really, Weiss wished that she could have felt more confident. She wished that she could feel like she could actually relate to her sister more with the situation at hand. Maybe there were too many things that had happened between the two of them that had never been fully discussed.

Either way, Weiss wasn't sure what to do.

This Winter that she had next to her was different from the one that she had grown up with. Before Winter had been rebellion, glad to run from Atlas to live her own life, and in doing so she'd had to cut some ties.

Weiss' training coming from Winter was just another layer of that rebellion, that was something that Weiss was sure of.

And now, she didn't know how she was supposed to feel when it came to her older sister.

If there was anything that Weiss felt like she could feel somewhat confident in, it was that there was more to Winter's visit. For instance, she couldn't imagine that this was going to be anything other than a limited visit.

"Winter?" Weiss asked, looking up at her older sister. "How long are you going to be here in Vale?"

Winter's expression sank, and there was something about it that told Weiss that she had only managed to make a mistake by asking that sort of question. "I'll only be here for as long as I am kept her for work, sadly." She admitted, sighing and looking over at Weiss. "And I have a feeling that you know what I'm here for."

"The grimm." Weiss said, filling in the blank for her older sister because what else could she have done?

The grimm was still out there, wandering around outside of the city like it was going to find something in the woods. And that was just the big one, it didn't account for what she and her team had seen out on their patrol. They were looking at dealing with things that were so far outside of Weiss' realm of ability, that she could only wonder about Winter.

After all, Winter had the luxury that was full and proper training. She hadn't had to hide behind closed doors to learn to be a huntress like Weiss had, and she had years as an Atlesian Specialist under her belt. That was anything but insignificant, if only because it meant that Winter was more than capable of putting up a fight.

"Yes." Winter sighed, she looked away from Weiss and walked up to one of the windows. Weiss followed closely after her elder sister and looked out for herself. Sure enough, there that giant grimm was, wandering and waiting and watching as it had been for ages. "That."

There was a quiet that settled, and Weiss realized that she had an opportunity to say something. To introduce an element that Winter didn't know about.

She dropped her volume and edged in as close to her older sister as she could before beginning to speak.

"It's not the only one out there."

Winter actually seemed to startle over that a little bit. She whipped around to face Weiss with shock written across her face. "What?"

"My team." Weiss waved her hand to signal to her sister that she was trying to make sure that they were keeping a low profile for the time being. "We just got back from a patrol earlier today. This morning, actually."

"And you saw something other than that grimm?"

"We did." Weiss sighed, looking out at the giant grimm. "But we also... found something. A pool of black water, something called a beringel." Weiss stared her older sister in the eyes and didn't let the contact break for even a second. "We fought it, and we killed it but..."

"But?"

"But I don't really know what it means." Weiss admitted, feeling terrible for what she was now having to say. "We told Professor Ozpin about it but they didn't really explain much of anything. Neither did the huntsman that we were on the mission with."

Winter reached out for Weiss and pulled her into a tight hug, one which Weiss allowed for herself to relax into for the time being. This was the least that she could do for her sister all things considered.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Weiss." Winter whispered into her younger sister's hair. "But I need to know about the fight, were you able-"

Weiss felt herself go stiff and annoyed, and she turned away from her sister. "It wasn't that simple." She muttered. "I'm not as good as my teammates by... Well, a relatively significant margin."

Winter's expression softened, and Weiss felt a pang of guilt for it. Maybe telling Winter that hadn't been the best idea that she'd ever had, all things considered. After all, based on the way that Weiss had gotten her training, it would mean that Winter's training of her had been inadequate as a baseline.

And that wasn't necessarily true.

It was just that her teammates were that much better, and Weiss didn't quite know how she was supposed to handle it.

"I'm sorry." Winter said quietly. "I wish that I knew what I could do to help beyond just offer additional training time."

"I know." Weiss sighed. "I think that it might help, though." She thought back to her sword, laying on her bed back in the shared dorm room. "I mean, that's the best way to get better, right? Training?"

"It is." Winter confirmed with a soft smile. "If you would like, I can try and get the general to join us for a training session."

The offer was almost too much, and it made Weiss' eyes widen in shock because it was something that she never would have even begun to consider being put on the table. Never before would she have been allowed such help, and now...

Well, she would have to be a fool to pass that sort of thing up.

"I think that I would like that." Weiss said, looking back out the window and at the grimm. "He trained you, after all, didn't he?"

"He did." Winter confirmed, leaning in towards the window and bracing herself against it with her arms outstretched in front of her. "For better or for worse."

Weiss nodded. "You think that he'll be willing?"

"If I ask him nicely enough?" Winter asked, looking out at the forest and then up above it, like she was looking for something. Either way, she was interested in what was going on out in the forests. "I'm sure that he would. I know that I'm not supposed to say it, but I'm his favorite."

Weiss laughed, because that didn't seem like it could have been too true, but it wasn't worth it to question it all. "Are you sure?"

"More than I should be." With those words, Winter stepped away from the window and the two of them began their walk through the building. They were going to have to go to the training room eventually, but for now it was going to be for the best if she tried to make sure that she could get food with Winter.

Not that any of it would end up being ideal either way.

The two only made it about halfway down the hallway that they were already in before Winter decided to ask some questions of her own. There were obviously things that the two of them needed to be able to discuss.

"So." Winter began, bringing Weiss' attention over towards her. "You're on a team here?"

"I am." Weiss said, holding her head high. "I'm sure that we weren't placed together in the normal way but I like them."

"Tell me about them."

"Well, there's Ruby and Yang. Their father lives here in Vale so they go to see him pretty often, like tonight. Ruby's some sort of prodigy, and Yang is exceptionally strong." Weiss paused and looked back over at her sister. "And then there's Blake, and she's..."

"The one that I met back at your dorm." Winter finished for Weiss, even though it wasn't what Weiss wanted to hear. "And what is she like?"

Weiss thought of the scar on her face, that hadn't been there the last time that she'd seen her older sister. She could have easily explained that story, but Weiss was sure that if she did it would only end up with trouble.

And that was making the assumption that Winter hadn't already heard the story from someone else. The general seemed to know the whole story, but that was another issue.

"Blake's strong." Weiss answered, hugging herself slightly. "I don't know all that much about her, but I like her. It's just been kind of... hard."

"Hard?"

"One could say that Blake isn't exactly a fan of our family's name or reputation, or how the company runs." Weiss began her explanation. "And that's been a bit of a problem as we get to know each other." She stopped herself, realizing that there was so much more that she needed to explain about herself. "But since we've gotten to get to know each other, it's gotten easier."

When Weiss looked up at her older sister, she found that there was skepticism written across Winter's face. A look that wasn't going to be able to go away that easily. "And you're sure that you want to be here at Beacon?"

"I am." Weiss replied. "I do really like it here, as awkward as things can be. I think that I have what it takes to be here, it's just that I know I'm not as good as everyone else."

"I seriously doubt that." Winter replied, holding her head up high. "You're a Schnee, Weiss. You are always going to be exceptional in some way."

"I don't want to be exceptional for being a Schnee, though." With those words, Weiss let her stance change. She stood up taller and held her head up high, even though it wouldn't do much for her height in this setting.

"Oh?"

"I want to be considered exceptional or great because of what I've done myself, not because of father or mother." Weiss began to explain herself in the only way that she knew how. It was the least that she could do, since she needed to make it all clear. "It's something that I will have to take my time to be able to get that, but that's what I really want."

Winter stared down at her with such a look of affection on her face. One that made Weiss want to beam and soak in all of the affection that was coming down on her. Once in a while, Winter was warm, and those were the times that Weiss treasured above all else.

"You've got the right idea, Weiss." Winter said finally. "And if you think that being here in Vale will make you a better version of yourself..."

Weiss waited.

"Then I have no choice but to support you."

It caught Weiss entirely by surprise. She picked her head up and stared her older sister in the eyes. Winter just smiled down at her with a sort of gentleness that was nothing like anything that the two of them would have seen as children. In the end, all that Winter was being was genuine.

And Weiss was going to love her sister forever for it.

"Thank you." Weiss said, keeping her voice quiet. She wanted to do a lot of things. She wanted to jump up and cling on to her sister, but to do that would be improper at the very least. "For believing in me."

"What kind of sister would I be if I didn't?" Winter asked, waving a gentle hands o that the two of them could continue on their walk. Weiss fell into step beside her sister, and the two of them walked until they were in the great hall where the two of them were able to get something to eat for that evening.

It wasn't much, but it was something. More than anything else, it was a chance for Weiss to spend time with the sister that she had lost. In that case, she was dedicated to enjoying that time to the best of her abilities.

Because after all, Winter had always been there when it counted.

And now, more than ever, it counted.

* * *

The more that they followed the leads that they did have, the easier things began to be. For Tyrian, he didn't spend most of his time among the others while they tracked the dear Maidens. He couldn't blend in with the people so easily, no, but he had his own ways of doing things.

They hadn't spent long in villages before heading out into the world in search of their maiden.

When they had been stopped in a village, Tyrian had used that time outdoors. He'd walked between the stalls of businesses, listening in on everything that he could. Most of what he got was whispers, important ones nonetheless.

The village of Oniyuri was waiting for them, all that they had to do was get there first. He was hearing that bandits had been through there, or something else. There had even been one rumor that it had been members of the White Fang.

Tyrian didn't know that he believed any of those rumors, but when notes had been compared everything came up the same: There was something in Oniyuri, and they were going to be the ones to go and find out just what.

It was all rather _exhilarating._

"We're going to find a maiden!" Tyrian exclaimed as he walked side by side with his teammates. He had Cinder right up beside him, but that wasn't the greatest matter for him to worry about or attend to, no. "I can't believe that our Goddess has thought us worthy of such a task-"

"It's not going to be that big." Hazel grumbled, shoving his hands down into his pockets like there was something that he was nervous about. "She's given us everything that we need."

"Has she?" Cinder asked, turning towards Hazel. "Because you don't really tell us that much-"

"Hazel is right." Watts interjected. "We've been given a task, and it will be up to us to be able to fulfill that task for her. She's given us everything that we need to get started."

Tyrian blinked and stared up at Watts, feeling wholly unsure of what he was supposed to make of that. "Then when we kill the maiden-"

"Then we will have to contend with how the power transfers." Watts explains, sounding wholly bored by the entire affair. "If the research and stories that Hazel and I have done turn out to be correct, then we just need a way to ensure a way into the girl's head. After all-" He paused and looked back at Cinder, grinning slyly before looking to Hazel ."Do you remember how it works?"

"The last young woman in her thoughts when she dies," Hazel explained, his voice hard and frustrated. "If it's not a young woman or something goes wrong, then it goes somewhere random."

"And then we have a harder hunt." Tyrian giggled. "What fun it could be!"

"Yes, well," Watts sighed. "We have a young maiden with us, and so we just have to make sure that-" He paused and looked back at Cinder. The entire group went quiet for a little bit too long before Watts decided to finally finish what he was saying. "Have you ever killed a man, Cinder?"

Cinder's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened in shock. Tyrian didn't quite see what the big concern was, but he'd been doing terrible things since he was a boy. All in the name of survival at first, but when their Goddess had first come to him he had been _elated_ to act in her favor. Whatever means necessary.

"I thought so." Watts sighed, looking back away from Cinder. "You'll have to do the killing blow if this is going to work, I would guess." He lifted his head up, talking out into the open because he was sure that there was nobody there to overhear them. "If not, then we'll have to go on another wild goose chase to find a girl."

"And we don't want that." Hazel grumbled.

Cinder was silent for a little too long, clearly mulling those words over in her head before she finally decided to say something. "I think I know what the maiden will look like." She said, keeping her voice down. "I saw this... girl, when we found the cave. In a dream or a vision or something, and if I'm right then..."

"Then you just made our jobs a little bit easier." Watts replied, not letting any happiness or excitement reach any part of him. "Of course, then we'll have to do our job to get her away from the village. Perhaps-" He paused, squinting at Cinder. "Perhaps finding some new teammates wouldn't hurt."

"What do you mean?" Cinder asked, stopping dead in her tracks and facing Watts. "New teammates?"

"You want to be able to find a way in with this girl?" Watts asked. "Because I think that the best way to gain her trust would be to..."

"Risky." Hazel said.

Tyrian cocked his head to the side, more than unsure of what was being said or communicated. There were a lot of layers to that statement, but Hazel was right. Getting close the maiden would likely be risky.

But Watts didn't seem interested in listening. He just smiled wide and continued walking.

"And that, Hazel, is why we should do it."


	31. In The Rough

Everything about the plan that they had come up with was _insane_.

It was completely insane, it was completely without reason, and if anything, Cinder couldn't help but feel like she was being used as a pawn. The fact of the matter was that she had been brought into the center of a small city, and set loose to do what?

Look for useful teenagers- like _that_ was a good set of guidelines on any level.

And god, if there wasn't anything about it that _didn't piss her off_.

She didn't even know what the others were expecting for her to do. She hadn't exactly been given all of that much to work with, she hadn't even been give that much in the way of clear directions.

Hazel hadn't been happy with the plan, and he'd been surprisingly vocal about that during their meeting. Watts hadn't cared as much, since he was only interested in what he could do for his own good.

And Tyrian... had seemed almost disappointed for a moment. Not that she had any idea why.

It was all very strange.

A part of Cinder was sure that she was going to find herself being cut off from the men that she was beginning to consider her teammates. In a lot of ways, Watts and Hazel felt like two fathers to her- very different types of fathers, but fathers all the same. The balanced out in a strange way, and having the two of them made things feel almost stable. Tyrian was becoming more like a brother than anything else.

Not that she could ever really tell either of them that.

Cinder walked through the street, glad that she had managed to find clothes that would cover most of her body up. The scarring was unseemly at best, and if she was in this city to make _friends_ then she didn't need any obstacles.

Meanwhile Watts and Hazel were off doing whatever it was that they did, and Cinder didn't even want to know what Tyrian would get up to in his free time.

Not that he'd decided to come into the city himself.

The first sign that she'd found her big break was the sound of shouting from a nearby road.

By everything that Cinder was able to tell, there had been a robbery, and the culprit had all but disappeared.

And that at the very least made things interesting. Perhaps it could be useful. Cinder reached back to check that her bow was there, strapped to her waist, and finally decided to begin her pursuit.

It was a difficult search, but she eventually found the person in question.

The woman in question was about the same height as Cinder was, and possibly a year or two younger. She was little more than skin and bones, with soft looking skin the color of tilled soil, and dirty jade green hair. Most interesting, were the striking red eyes that the girl possessed.

And she was clearly someone that had learned to fight at some point, if the pair of guns strapped to her back were any indicator. From looks alone though, that didn't seem to mean all that much.

Cinder stepped into the alleyway and reminded herself that this was _dangerous_.

"Stop." Cinder commanded.

The girl saw her and jumped, shoving something deep down into her pocket that Cinder had to guess was valuable.

A simple street thief. It was almost tragic.

The girl reached back for one of her guns with a free hand. "Leave me alone!" She shouted, shifting her weight just slightly so that she could peer over Cinder's shoulder. "I don't know what you want!"

"I heard everything." Cinder managed to say, glad that she actually had her voice. It wasn't going away as much as it had been before. "And I don't think that you would be able to fight me."

And that was cocky, but Cinder was sure of herself.

The woman stepped back a little further into the alleyway, body drawn tight like she was preparing to spring and attack. "What do you want?"

"Nothing, right now." Cinder said, cocking her head to the side just slightly so that she could get a better look of the girl. "I just want to _talk_."

"I didn't do it." The girl said again, her voice getting quieter this time. "I don't-"

"You disappeared." Cinder said calmly. "How did you do that?"

The girl blinked and lowered her hands slightly. "I'm not telling you that."

Cinder nodded. "Why don't you come with me?" She suggested. "I think that you and I could be good friends if you just agreed to help me with something."

"I can't help you with anything." The girl responded. "I'm just-"

"A thief?" Cinder asked. "If you come with me, you won't have to steal."

And if anything, that seemed to get the girl's attention. He picked her head up and something in her sunken eyes screamed _hunger._

"You... mean that?"

"I do." Cinder replied. "I think that I could use your help, and if you help me, I'll make sure that you're taken care of."

The girl nodded, and then as quietly as possible asked one question:

"Who are you?"

"My name," Cinder began, because that was the least that she could do if she was supposed to get this girl's help. "Is Cinder Fall."

"Cinder." The girl repeated. She still looked more than unsure of herself, and Cinder loathed her for it. This was a waste of time, which meant that she needed to be able to do her own work to fix it.

That didn't make it any better.

"Yes." Cinder confirmed. "And what is your name?"

The girl blinked and looked back over Cinder's shoulder again, still scared. Finally, she whispered an answer of her own. "Emerald Sustrai." The girl said quietly. "I-"

"Good." Cinder said, holding her head up high and looking at Emerald down her nose. "Are you coming with me or not?"

Emerald hesitated and then sighed. "Will you get me something to eat?"

"I have food at camp." Cinder said. "Will you come?"

"Yes." Emerald said finally, her voice barely above a squeak. "I'll come with you."

Cinder smiled.

"Good." And with that she turned her back, and began to leave so that she could finally talk to this girl somewhere safe. Emerald followed nervously after Cinder, and even began to lead her through back alleys and out of the view of anyone who would arrest or harm her.

Cinder brought the girl through winding streets until the two of them were finally outside of the city and in the camp that Cinder and her team were staying in. When the two of them arrived, the camp was thankfully empty, something that Cinder intended to take advantage of.

Emerald looked around the camp, and she looked exhausted. Maybe the walk had been a little bit more than the starving girl could handle. Figuring that the least she could do to earn Emerald's trust is feed her, Emerald went over to the space next to Watts' bedroll and reached in to remove a small ration pack.

EMerald saw it and her eyes went wide. The girl took two steps forward, reaching out for the package before Cinder yanked it away.

"You and I need to talk, Emerald." Cinder said, handing it down like it was an order, and really, it was.

"I'll talk, I'll help you, just _please-_ "

Cinder offered the package again, and Emerald took it this time.

"How were you able to disappear?" Cinder asks, since that was the first place that she figured she could try to get a conversation going. She thinks back to the things that Watts and Hazel had said that they would need to keep in mind, and decides to try to coax some help out of Emerald. "From whoever you robbed?"

Emerald paused and let out a slow, quiet breath. "I didn't... disappear." She explained quietly. "I just... tricked him is all."

"How?"

"My semblance." Emerald managed to get the words out, though they came haltingly and between bites of food. "I make people see things that aren't there. So I made it look like I had just disappeared, but..."

"You actually ran away." Cinder finished, understanding. "And then I found you."

"Yes."

"And you didn't try to run?"

"You'd figured me out by then." Emerald said. "And doing it that often is... hard."

This girl wasn't ideal, was all Cinder could think. She didn't really know what good someone that got by on trickery could really be to her. Emerald had weapons, but Cinder couldn't even say for sure whether or not the girl knew how to fight, let alone defend herself.

It was entirely likely that she had just run into a very talented street thief.

Cinder wondered what the others would have to say if they found out about Emerald. Would they think she would be as useful as Cinder got the feeling she would be?

Cinder didn't know, and so the best that she could do was see what happened.

Emerald was standing there, picking at the corner of the ration bar that she'd been given nervously. She looked up at Cinder, and she looked worried. Cinder decided that there was more to talk about.

"So you can create delusions?"

"I can." Emerald confirmed. "Is that... bad?"

"No," Cinder sighed. "I believe that you could be very useful to us."

"...Us?"

"I'll explain once I know that you're with us." Cinder said, because she didn't exactly know what else she could say. "Do you know how to fight?"

"I do." Emerald confirmed. "I'm not from one of the academies, but-"

"Good enough." Cinder said, holding her head high and really beginning to size Emerald up. She didn't look like she had any real muscle to her. If she was a good fighter, Cinder was sure that it was because she took people by surprise.

Emerald nodded. She walked over to a fallen log and took a seat there, making herself comfortable. Cinder just stayed standing and watched Emerald.

Maybe, just maybe, she'd found what she needed for the them to be able to keep moving forward on this assignment. Now, she just needed to see what the others would think.

* * *

Blake walked into an empty training room late at night, alone and silent.

The last few nights had been exceptionally difficult. With everyone else around her spending their time around the families, it left Blake feeling like she was out in the cold. It left her wondering if going home again could ever be possible, or whether or not her family would want her again.

As a result, Blake had several unfinished letters to her parents stuffed under her mattress that she wasn't sure she would ever be able to send.

What surprised her was that the training room wasn't completely empty though. Blake had been intending to relax a little, drop her bow, and jump into action against a simulation. The least that she could do when she was so tired was try to improve.

Instead, there was a pair of students training. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that one- a girl with flaming red hair that Blake knew to be named Pyrrha Nikos, was training a boy with blonde hair by the name of Jaune.

There was something about it that felt a little too intimate, and Blake was about to turn and run when she heard a voice.

"Wait!" Pyrrha called to her, walking up to the edge of the ring and looking back up at her. "You don't have to go!"

Blake paused, because that was something that she hadn't been expecting at all. She stood there with one hand on the door, unsure of whether or not she should just leave or talk to Pyrrha.

Manners won out, and Blake stepped away from the door.

"I don't mean to intrude."

"Well, there's plenty of room here." Pyrrha said, waving her hands to the sides to show that the arena was certainly large. "I doubt that Jaune and I would mind sharing the space."

"I wouldn't mind." Jaune said, reaching back and scratching back at his hair. "We aren't using that much space anyways."

Blake hesitated and reached back, feeling for her weapon. Maybe this was going to be able to work, it was just a matter of seeing how this could go. "If you're sure..."

"I think we are." Jaune said. He walked up to Pyrrha's side and smiled up at Blake. "You're on a team with Ruby and Yang, right?"

"Uh, yeah." Blake confirmed, finally taking the chance to hop down into the arena. "And you're-"

"We're from team JNPR." Jaune said with a shrug. "Does your team have a name yet, or..."

"No-" Blake began. The idea that they didn't have a name for their team being a big deal was something that hadn't occurred to Blake. But things were changing, maybe that was coming soon. "Not yet."

Pyrrha had a little bit of an odd look on her face. She glanced over at Jaune for a moment, and Jaune was the one to speak up next.

"I'm sure that it won't be long." Jaune said with a shrug. "Things are probably busy for Professor Ozpin, or they might be trying to make sure that your team is compatible. It's probably fine."

And oh, Blake wished that was enough to make her feel better about how things were going, but it didn't quite do the trick.

She just made her way over to one side of the arena and removed her sword from her back. Maybe it was going to be a good chance for her to relax. Or maybe she could get to know someone from outside of her team.

At the very least, it was a chance for Blake to tire herself out before things could get any more stressful.

Back behind her, Pyrrha was saying something to Jaune. Something about getting into position for a fight, and getting into a proper stance. That was certainly interesting, but Blake didn't want to read into it too much.

Not when...

The door to the training room opened again, and there was the sound of someone coming in. Blake felt her torn ear twitch under her bow, and when she looked up she saw that it was Qrow of all people.

What was he doing there?

Blake groaned and sheathed Gambol Shroud once more.

Qrow walked up to the side of the ring and shouted.

"You guys shouldn't be in here!"

"Sorry." Blake muttered, and Qrow stopped, raising his hands up in front of him.

"Hey, I'm not making you go." Qrow said again, watching as the three students in the arena turned to face him. "Just letting you know that you shouldn't be here this late."

"Oh," Jaune said, looking over at Pyrrha nervously. "Thanks, Professor Branwen."

"I'm _not_ a professor." Qrow bit out the words, sounding even irritated. "What the hell are you three even doing here? You aren't even all on the same team."

Jaune and Pyrrha exchanged a look before Pyrrha spoke up. "We were trying to get some late training in, sir."

"And you?" Qrow asked, staring down at Blake. There was almost something that reminded her of fondness in his look, but Blake really didn't want to think about that. Not when things were the way that they were and she was already worrying about people liking and wanting her around. "What's got you up?"

"I couldn't sleep." Blake said finally.

"Got it." Qrow said with a shrug. He reached over and pat the console at his side. "Want me to fire this thing up for you kids?"

Blake hesitated, because while she definitely wanted to be able to just give Qrow an answer, she didn't want to do that when this wasn't her in the arena alone. Really, a part of her just wanted to be able to go and talk to him a little more personally.

Somehow, she had serious reason to doubt that telling anyone about what they'd seen out in the woods was a good idea.

Jaune and Pyrrha exchanged a look, and Pyrrha shrugged, waving it off. "We'd prefer not to." Pyrrha announced, standing up tall and relaxing slightly. "This was meant to be a simple practice."

"Got it." Qrow said. He looked among the three of them, and when his eyes fell on Blake, she just looked back at Pyrrha and Jaune before making an approach. She climbed up to where Qrow was, and he understood.

He took the way out, and Blake followed just after him.

"Hey, kid." Qrow greeted her more personally now that the two of them were alone for the time being. "What're you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep." Blake said, hanging her head just slightly. "Can I talk to you?"

Qrow paused, and looked to the door. "What do you want to talk to me about?"

Blake paused. "The mission," She started, because that was the best vague answer that she could give him to begin with. "And some other things."

"Private, then?"

"Yes."

Qrow shrugged and reached down into his pocket, pulling out a ring of keys and leading the way through the building. Blake just followed after him silently until the two of them were finally stepping into a tiny office.

It was a mess, and it didn't look like it was a teacher's base of operations. Instead, there were copious notes and reports that were half-filled out on the desk. Perhaps this was just a place that Ozpin had offered Qrow?

Blake couldn't be too sure either way.

Qrow just dropped into the seat and gestured to a stool that was in the corner. Blake took the seat there, and she was about to try and say something when Qrow decided to start the talk first.

"So," Qrow began with a shrug. "You really couldn't sleep?"

"I really couldn't sleep." Blake admitted, sadly. "Things have been... strange lately."

"You mean the team, or do you mean the mission?"

"Both." Blake sighed, looking at the wall and letting her eyes scan over some of the things that had been pasted onto it. There was a photo of two young kids with Taiyang and a woman that Ruby looked almost exactly like, with Qrow sitting by with them. There was a photo of Qrow, clearly younger, with a woman that looked quite a bit like him. There was a photo of Ruby and Yang on their first day at Beacon.

It was just yet another reminder of one of the things that were bothering her so badly.

"Anything particular?"

Blake hesitated. She took a deep breath, and thens he finally allowed for herself to explain. "I didn't grow up in one of the kingdoms." She began to explain. "And I've had to come pretty far to be able to get here."

"So you're just homesick then?" Qrow asked, looking at her sympathetically. "How far have you had to travel to get here anyways?" He paused, like there was another question that he wanted to ask her first.

"Far." Blake answered. "It's been a long time since I've been able to see my parents. Now Ruby and Yang are spending time with their father, and Weiss' sister is here." She wanted to curl in on herself, or to find a way to reach out to home. It wasn't going to be simple, no matter what. "It's just been hard."

"Yeah, I get that." Qrow leaned back in his seat and raised a hand to gesture to one of the photos. He tapped on the photo of himself with the woman that looked like him. "My sister's been missing on my family for years."

"Dead?"

"Nah," Qrow sighed. "Just ran off on us, apparently had better things to do. It's been basically silent ever since. So I get missing people."

"Right." Blake mumbled, looking down at her hands. The night that she had first met Qrow, her hands had been bruised badly and she'd done everything to hide it. "I just wish that I could do something to get to them."

Qrow shrugged. "Well, you get good enough to be here, and then soon enough you'll be able to make that trip yourself. Not that I don't think you're capable. Kids don't exactly come in and out of cities like you do without being able to handle themselves."

And that did make Blake feel a little bit better about herself, but it also reminded herself of the grimm. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I think that I got lucky since..." Her voice trailed off for just a moment. "How long do you think that grimm was out there? The Beringel?"

Qrow seemed a little bit taken aback by the question. His fingers flexed out before falling into fists and resting on top of his armrests. His cheeks even puffed out and Blake watched as he turned in his seat, slowly. Looking for something on the wall, by the looks of things.

Blake leaned in slightly and listened close, just in case he ended up saying something that she wasn't supposed to be able to hear.

"I dunno," He said finally. "I tried to keep my hands off of the fight, but it probably wasn't out there long. If it had been, people would have noticed it. Ozpin likes to keep regular patrols on the forest for a reason."

"Like ours?"

"Yeah, among others. I get sent out a couple times a day if Ozpin wants me too." Qrow said with a shrug. "Back in the day I was more of less Oz's favorite spy."

"And these days?"

Qrow shrugged, and even smiled a little bit wider. "Depends who you ask," Qrow laughs. "Taiyang likes to call me a layabout, I consider myself... partially retired personally. These days I'm probably going to be going back to work now that grimm are out there again."

He gave Blake a look that she couldn't quite read and then hummed.

"You could make a decent spy yourself, Blake."

"You... think so?"

"Yeah," Qrow said, and with quite a bit of confidence in his voice when he did it. "I do." He leaned back in his seat. "You seem like you're good at keeping secrets."

"Is that what's the most important thing?" Blake asked, a little bit unsure of herself.

"It's a big part of it." Qrow said finally, leaning back in his seat a little bit. Within moments the two of them were changing their discussion to the woods and the monsters inside of them.

Eventually, Blake was being sent off to bed with her mind buzzing with things that she needed to be able to focus on if she was going to be able to relax at all.

In the end, talking to Qrow had done quite a bit to help, and Blake was more than glad for it.

He was a good man.

He made her miss home even more.


	32. A Test of Strength

Qrow couldn't exactly pretend that he actually _enjoyed_ sleeping in his office, or like there was any enjoyment to be had in late nights at Beacon. The night before had been long and necessary- Qrow was exhausted, but Qrow was glad to have been able to have it.

Blake was a good kid, and if he was going to be the closest thing to family outside of her team while she was there in Vale, then Qrow was more than okay with that. He could play that role to her, if that was what she wanted.

He blinked the exhaustion away from his eyes as he dragged himself out of the office and began on his way out of Beacon. It was early, so Qrow was going to have to be getting ready to go off on patrol soon enough.

If his gut feeling was right, then he was going to have a busy morning. He'd have to check the forest for signs of grimm additional to the gargantuan, and then once that was done Qrow was certain that checking in on Raven was a good idea.

At the very least, if there _were_ indeed grimm popping up again, Qrow wanted to know whether or not the tribe had seen any. Raven would know if they had. If they had, they would be on high alert.

Qrow walked out to the cliffs, ignoring the people around him before just launching himself off of the ledge and shifting forms. With that, the trip over the forest was easy.

The only problem was that Qrow wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea of immediately abandoning his normal route. If that were to happen, then Qrow was going to need to be confident that the roads were secure. With recent grimm sightings in the area, Qrow needed to be thorough.

He did his best to soar over the roads, staring down at them as he flew over them. Just like he had every other time, Qrow counted them and found nothing immediately wrong on the roads.

After that, it was a matter of the forest.

He looked up at the giant grimm and quickly tried to figure out how far away from it. No getting close, Qrow knew that fully well.

Once he was sure of himself, Qrow flew out towards the spawning pool that he'd stumbled on with that group of students. He began to see black birds flying up ahead of them, small ones. It took him only a moment to realize that what he was seeing wasn't _normal_ birds. Instead, they were unsettling to even glance at.

Nevermores.

That was very, very bad. Qrow fell back, placed some distance between him and the nevermores, and dipped closer to the treeline.

For the moment, it seemed that the spawning pool was inactive. There was nothing on the ground that looked like it had just come out. Qrow was sure that if he kept on flying he would find beowulves, or another beringel, or something land based.

But when he flew over the forest, and through it, Qrow found nothing. All that there were was that behemoth of a grimm, and the new flock of nevermores. Logically, Qrow knew that he needed to get back to Ozpin to report on that, but he had more plans.

Instead of making his trip go back to Beacon, Qrow headed off in the direction of the tribe's camp. Raven was sure to be there, and if she wasn't, then Qrow could trust that she'd pop back up on his radar soon enough. Regardless, Qrow was going to find her.

As always, the trip to find the tribe was exhausting, and Qrow landed down on the beaten road in about the same place as he had last time. Qrow wanted to take the moment to just breathe and relax, but couldn't afford himself the time. Instead, he walked to the camp as quickly as he could.

Just like always, he was given weird looks on the way in.

This time, he would find Raven leaving her tent. Either the word had gotten to her that he was there, or something was wrong.

She saw him and stopped dead in her tracks, her hand snapping down to the sword at her side. She was ready for a fight, and so Qrow took a half-step back and raised his hands in front of him in surrender.

"Qrow." She snapped at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I needed to ask you something." Qrow answered, taking a step forward when he finally saw his sister relax. He hanged his head just slightly as he approached. "About some things that I had a run in with lately."

"Taiyang and his daughters?" Raven asked, already clearly defensive and bitter.

"Grimm." Qrow clarified, trying his hardest not to bristle over Raven's comments. "I brought a group of kids out on a hunt, normal mission. End up with a Beringel after us. The kids fight it off, and I go out looking for more. Found a flock of Nevermores on the way here." He paused and looked up at his sister, meeting her eyes. "Sound familiar?"

Raven hesitated, turned her head, and looked to the two men that were about to join her. "Yes, actually." Raven says. She nods, and the two men begin to follow after her. Qrow takes the hint and falls into step at his side. "We had an incident last night."

"Did you now?" Qrow asked.

"We did." Raven replied. "Our search for a source didn't give us a whole lot, so I'm going out to find out where this is all coming from."

"Good to know." Qrow groaned. "So what did you all run into anyways?"

"Ursae." Raven replied with a quiet sigh. "No Ursa Majors, but enough to be some trouble to us. Most of the people here aren't really used to fighting grimm these days."

"I know the problem." Qrow sighed. "I know that you probably don't want to talk to me about this stuff."

"I don't." Raven murmured. "But grimm are _everyone's_ problem, regardless of whose side you're on." She eyes him up and down, and Qrow doesn't let himself budge. "You would know that, wouldn't you brother?"

"Yeah." Qrow grumbled. "Think you need another set of hands to do this?"

"No, I don't think so." Raven replied. "But if you're offering-"

"It'll be good for both of us to know." Qrow responded. "So I'm offering."

Raven eyed Qrow warily, and Qrow couldn't really do anything to ignore the almost angry jolt that it sent through him. This was him doing his absolute best to be there to help his sister, and here she was, ready to cast him off to the side.

It was no real surprise that years of things being like this had driven them both to despite the other in some way. Qrow knew how it was. To Raven, he was nothing more than a traitor. The man that had chosen to turn his back on the tribe that had raised them both.

To him, she was the traitor that had turned her back on the people that cared about her.

And that wasn't getting into the piles of things that neither were willing to address. The two of them both had things up their sleeves, it was just a matter of whether or not they were going to be willing to show their hands.

For that reason, the two of them were currently at an impasse.

Raven sighed and turned. "You can join us, Qrow." She said finally. "But you better know to stay out of the way."

"Got it." Qrow responded, falling into step at his sister's side while the two men that had coming with her fell behind the two of them. They walked side by side, and once their little group was finally an appropriate distance from the camp, Qrow decided to speak up.

"So how many grimm have you guys seen, anyways?"

"Not many." Raven admitted. "We've been trying to keep our distance from the big one, so the new ones have been a surprise."

Qrow nodded. "That's the same thing that happened when I was out in the field. Me and some kids, out doing simple recon, next thing we know there's a Beringel." He shrugged. "The only warning that we had was that there was a pool."

Raven nodded. "Do you think that there will be more of them?"

"I hope not." Qrow groaned. "You and I both know that once they're there, there isn't-" He stopped himself and glanced back at the two men that were walking with them. Just like that he wanted to bite his tongue because he didn't know anything about them. Mostly, he couldn't trust them.

Raven noticed his stop though. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned back to her two men. "We'll divide here." She said, passing the words down as a very clear order. "You two travel west, and we'll head east. If something is wrong-"

"Got it." The taller of the two responded, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Qrow. He said nothing else, and he turned to go off on his own. His companion followed soon after, and then Qrow and Raven were alone.

Raven just looked up to meet Qrow's eyes. "As you were saying?"

"You know just as well as I do that if there are pools, we can't exactly do anything to make them dry up." Qrow finally said, intentionally keeping his volume low for both of their sakes. "The only reason that they dried up last time-"

A certain sorrowful feeling came over Qrow then. It was all a reminder of a time that had been better, and was sadly long gone.

"Was because Summer could make them dry up." Raven finished for Qrow, holding her head up high. "And there isn't exactly anyone out here that could do the same thing."

Qrow couldn't help but pause at that, if only because he knew that _wasn't_ the case. Raven might not have known everything about what Summer had gotten up to in her absence, but Qrow did. Qrow knew that Summer wasn't the last Silver Eyed Warrior, he just didn't want to think about subjecting Ruby to that fate.

The kid was just that: a kid. She didn't deserve to have that sort of pressure put on her shoulders.

Besides, she didn't even seem to have shown signs of having any special powers like Summer had. If they were there, something was going to need to bring them out. Qrow didn't want for Ruby to suffer enough for that to happen.

It left Qrow wondering whether he should bring it up or not. If he did, then he didn't know how Raven was going to respond to it, that was for sure. He couldn't exactly pretend like Raven was easy for him to understand most days.

"Yeah." Qrow said finally, sighing. "Either that or someone has to be able to take out the head."

"Salem is dead." Raven responded, matter of factly and locking her eyes onto Qrow's.

Qrow stared her down, and the two of them were both silent for a long moment before he spoke up once more.

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

Raven was silent, but that said everything that it needed to.

They were twins. Qrow understood.

* * *

Hazel returned to the camp late at night, having spent most of his day wandering the village and looking for anything he could that could help them. He was tired, and he was carrying a sack with food in it that he was going to need to heat over the fire. Watts had decided to retreat to the local libraries for the night in the name of research. Hazel was more than willing to bet his lien that "research" actually meant "a nice hotel room to himself."

Cinder was supposed to be off on her task, and Tyrian was off doing whatever it was that Tyrian did. He'd never been exactly expected to gather intelligence, but he was useful when it came to the faunus or to the lower classes.

Hazel had been hoping for some peace and quiet, but when he got back to the camp he wouldn't find it.

Instead, he would find two girls sitting there by the fire. Cinder, and another one that Hazel didn't recognize.

They both looked up when he approached. Hazel kept his distance at first and then just looked to Cinder expectantly.

She understood.

"Hazel," She started, gesturing to the woman at her side. "I think that I have found someone to help us."

Hazel couldn't really do anything to help the almost immediate spike of skepticism that came up at that mention. His gaze slipped over to the girl at Cinder's side. She was too thin to be a fighter, and she looked like she hadn't been able to eat in some time. From first glance, Hazel had a hard time imagining this girl as being anything other than just a street rat.

She was also probably a year or two younger than Cinder was.

Hazel was reminded of the sack of food under his arm and sighed, approaching the fire and raising one hand to it to check the heat. It would do. "Good." he finally said, reaching into the bag and removing a couple of paper wrapped packages. "Have you eaten?"

"Only some rations." Cinder admitted. "You got real-"

"Beef." Hazel stopped the girl as he unwrapped the first package. "And vegetables."

"Right." Cinder sighed, looking over at the girl to her side. "Emerald, this is Hazel. Hazel, this is-"

"Emerald." Hazel finished for her without looking back over his shoulder. He just focused on creating a flat surface to cook with by rifling through his pack. He found a folding grate and laid it out on top of the fire before moving to add the food to it. Soon there was going to be a proper meal, and Hazel couldn't really help feeling like he was starving himself. Rations didn't do much other than satiate. "And why did you choose her?"

"Her semblance." Cinder said simply.

And that was interesting, because it meant that there was something special about it. Hazel wasn't sure that semblance alone was a good reason to recruit someone, but at the very least it was a start. Once he was satisfied with the placement of the food Hazel got up, stepping away from the fire.

He looked down at the two girls, trying to get a good idea of what this girl could possibly do. While he wanted to put faith in Cinder's decision making, he wasn't sure that it was a good idea. Hazel let out a breath before lowering himself to the log near the fire.

"You know that you will need more." Hazel stated, matter-of-factly. "If you're going to be able to do this."

"I know." Cinder sighed.

"What... am I supposed to do anyways?" The other girl asked. This was the first time that Hazel had seen her speak, so he picked his head up and glanced over at her. She was leaning forward on the log awkwardly, and a part of Hazel told him that she was getting ready to run. It was clear enough that there were things that the girl hadn't been told yet, and Hazel couldn't blame Cinder for that.

There was a lot of material to cover.

Hazel raised an eyebrow in Cinder's direction.

"I thought that it would be best to get one of your approval before making a permanent recruitment." Cinder said calmly.

Hazel just nodded.

"We'll test your mettle after eating." Hazel said, because that was going to be enough to make sure that there was an understanding. "Until we know what you are capable of, we can't take you in for sure."

Emerald's eyes widened and her expression sank. Hazel felt a slight pang of guilt for it, because it left him wondering what Cinder must have told her. It was possible that there was some sort of promise made, but Hazel couldn't imagine what. Perhaps food, considering the way that the girl looked.

"You... want to... test me?" Emerald asked.

Hazel just nodded. "We can't afford dead weight." He finally said, his voice calm as ever. "And that means that you need to be able to fight."

"I can fight!" The girl responded, and the way that she moved was almost like there had been an electric jolt shot through her. She was ready to fight, that much was clear based on the way that she was moving. "Why do you think that I-"

"Because I haven't seen you." Hazel responded, raising his voice in just the slightest way. It made his throat feel like it had gone raw, and Hazel almost immediately hated himself for it. This was one of the things that he hated the most about being in a position of authority over anyone. It was one of the things that he didn't miss from his previous fight. "And I have doubts that Cinder has as well."

"I've seen her semblance." Cinder replied, leaning back in her seat slightly. "I know that she can help us."

"That isn't enough." Hazel grumbled. "You know that Watts will be worse about this than I will."

"I do." Cinder replied, quietly. "So you'll test her?"

"I will." Hazel responded. "Consider it as practice for yourself."

He got up and approached the fire. The scent was a bit much, even with the meat cooking on top of it. The burning reached up into his nostrils and left Hazel feeling like he needed badly to recoil. He didn't allow it for himself, though. All he did was reach in and turn the food to make sure that there was an even char on it.

Satisfied, Hazel got back up and turned around to look at Cinder and Emerald both. While it would be easy to pit the two of them against each other in a match, he didn't like that particular possibility in that moment. It left too many possibilities for Cinder to get hurt.

There was a distinct burning sensation in his chest that reminded Hazel very clearly why that couldn't be allowed.

Perhaps then, the best way to check their skills would be to put them into a match together against someone else. There was always the possibility of using himself, and Tyrian would do just as well. Although, the man's present absence was at the very least worrying for Hazel. He had no doubt that Tyrian was managing to get himself into trouble in that moment, wherever he was.

"You'll both fight me." Hazel said finally, holding his head up high. "You're allowed semblances and weapons, the match stops if my aura breaks or when I get bored." And it was a challenge, Hazel was sure of it. "Understood?"

The two girls glanced at each other warily. Instead of saying anything else, Hazel decided that it was for the best if he stood off to the side and let them sort out what they wanted to for themselves. Slowly, the two of them both nodded their responses. With that matter at least settled, Hazel was free to turn back to the fire and make sure that their food cooked properly.

It was a matter of minutes, and then Hazel was serving both Cinder and Emerald their dinners while preparing some for himself. He allowed himself a seat on the log and enjoyed his meal, to the best of his abilities. It was getting to be a bit late, and Hazel had a sneaking suspicion that it would just be the three of them there at the camp that night.

Although, having Watts absent on a night like that particular one wasn't necessarily a bad thing, Hazel thought to himself. He knew that this was going to be harder on the girls than it would be on himself. For now, all that he could really do to deal with things was allow himself to relax and wait. When the girls were ready, the two of them were going to tell him.

Hazel was at the very least confident in that.

An hour or so passed before Cinder approached Hazel where he was sitting and carefully looking over his copy of the map. He was doing his best to chart out their next paths, even though Hazel was sure that it would be thrown out as soon as Watts got a good look at the plans.

"Hazel." Cinder caught his attention, and when Hazel glanced back at the girl over his shoulder he saw that she was standing there with her head held high. If she wasn't ready for a fight, then she certainly wasn't acting as though that was the case. Hazel could respect it- after all, a good part of going into battle against anyone was making it seem like he had the upper hand.

"Yes?" Hazel asked, already standing up and beginning to fold the map back together so that he could store it away. "Are you ready?"

"We are." Cinder replied. At her side, Emerald was standing there, looking far too nervous for anyone's own good. That was fine, Hazel thought. This was going to be his chance to find out what this girl was capable of, as well as why Cinder had wanted her.

All that he hoped was that the two girls were actually going to be able to work together. As things stood, Cinder had a definite upper hand over Emerald, and Emerald's reactions to things were almost uniformly submissive in some way. Like she was afraid that she would step out of line and end up insulting someone.

It occured to Hazel briefly that Emerald was probably going about things in the way that she was out of a genuine fear for being thrown back out onto the street, or something else entirely. Either way, it didn't sit all that well with Hazel.

Not that he would let it show.

If this girl was going to be useful to them, then her loyalty was going to come once that was a proven fact. For now, she needed to be able to prove herself.

Hazel allowed both of them a few times to arrange themselves at the other side of the clearing. Once they were ready, then Hazel was sure that the two girls would have the upper hand.

As for himself, Hazel made a show of shrugging off his coat so that he could prove that he was unarmed. He also took a moment to remove the two extra pockets of dust attached to his legs- he wouldn't need them here. There was an almost immediate self-conscious wave that ran over him when Hazel remembered that even Cinder probably hadn't seen how had the damage that had been done to his arms was. The scarring was heavy, and Hazel caught both of the girls staring for a moment.

He didn't allow his mind to linger on that. Instead, he laid the coat down on the log where he'd been sitting and raised his hands up in front of him.

There was a pause, and Hazel paused. "To be clear-" Hazel started. "You two can use your weapons and semblances."

The girls exchanged a look. Cinder took the lead, of course. She reached back for her swords, and it was interesting that she didn't move to snap them together into a bow. Perhaps she was going to attempt to fight him at close range. If that was the case, then Hazel was sure that this would be an interesting encounter, at the very least.

Emerald was more hesitant, reaching for her guns and falling into a fighting stance. She didn't look like she was ready for a fight, but Hazel wasn't concerned.

All that he needed out of this was to know whether or not the girl was capable of fighting.

"Go." Hazel offered the signal, and the two girls both took it.

Cinder rushed him first, and Hazel just raised his hands so that he could block any strike. Before she could make contact with him, Hazel activated his semblance so that he would have just a little bit less to worry about. His aura could deal with the rest.

Cinder collided with his forearm with both of her blades, and Hazel just pushed her back with some force. The girl stumbled back, annoyed but ready to move again.

Hazel blinked and looked for Emerald, only to find that he didn't know where she was. A quick scan of the treeline offered nothing, but when Hazel listened he heard something moving around in the brush.

Interesting, indeed.

Hazel's gaze flicked back to Cinder. He didn't allow himself to drop his attention from the sounds of the underbrush, but for now...

Cinder had fallen back in her position, drawing two arrows that were going to go in Hazel's position. Hazel narrowed his eyes and watched the girl. If he could get the timing correct, then he could be sure that there was absolutely nothing for him to worry about.

Cinder let the two arrows loose, and Hazel lept back. Moments later both arrows exploded into flame, and that gave Hazel ideas, though he was sure that it would have to be something for later.

Before he even realized it, Hazel heard a sound of movement again, followed quickly by the feeling of something colliding with his body but little more than a pressure to tell him that it was there. It felt curved and sharp, and that was more than enough for Hazel to go on. Unable to see them, Hazel swung an arm blindly and caught something.

A chain, which he tugged on to pull its source in.

There was a stumbling sound, and then Emerald appeared seemingly from nowhere.

Hazel rolled his eyes and tugged again, disarming the girl before paying attention to Cinder once more. She had to have something planned for him, it was just a question of what it was going to be.

As it turned out, that was a question that Cinder answered quickly with a set of arrows that landed down by Hazel's feet. He had to move fast, and was barely able to get away from the blast radius around them before Hazel locked his eyes back onto Cinder. He stalked forward, and Cinder decided not to move into Hazel's range. She just jumped back away from him and sent a blast of flame in his direction.

Hazel didn't have as much time to move as he would have liked, and came away from it a little more than singed. It did require some effort for Hazel to be able to ignore how that left him feeling, the way that the smell left him reeling. It didn't matter. After a long moment Hazel just got back to his feet and looked between the two girls, who both looked ready to fight. As it turned out, he wasn't going to need to fight them to the point where auras broke.

He'd seen enough.

"Good." Hazel said, waving a hand to signal to both girls that they could stand down. Cinder and Emerald shared a look, but a moment later both of them relaxed, lowering their weapons. Instead of giving them reason to think that they were about to go into more battle, Hazel just approached the log with his coat and seated himself. Once he was comfortable, he let his semblance drop away from himself. "She can stay."

Emerald understood that well enough. She stood up straight and her eyes were wide with surprise. "Thank you." She finally said, once she'd finally managed to collect her thoughts.

Hazel's only response was a grunt. Both of the girls took the chance to relax for some time, while Hazel went about general camp maintenance.

The quiet and comfort that had fallen over the three of them was subsequently shattered by the sound of someone moving around in the underbrush. Hazel hesitated and picked his head up, glancing towards the bushes and waiting. A moment later, Tyrian stumbled through. He looked tired yet manic, like he'd spent hours doing something akin to hunting.

"Ah!" Tyrian greeted them. "Dear Ember, Hazel! And..." he paused, eyes narrowing into squints and a smile creasing his face that was the same sort of smile that Tyrian always wore when he was excited by something. "Who is this? I do not remember our-"

" _Tyrian_." Hazel cut him off, since it was probably for the best that they didn't show their whole hand yet. Cinder had needed time before they'd given her the full story on what they were doing. Tyrian had gone through similar treatment when Hazel and Watts had first found him. It only made sense that Emerald would be put through that same process, for better or for worse.

Tyrian clamped his mouth shut and gave Hazel a strange, almost scared look. Hazel just gestured towards the man's bedroll and watched as Tyrian crept over and seated himself there. Quiet, like a dog in the corner. Hazel wasn't a fan of making such orders, but if they were what needed to be done to keep the peace fo the time being, then Hazel figured that he didn't exactly have much of a choice in that matter.

Showing too much could only lead to chaos.

It wasn't exactly a big surprise that the rest of the night turned into them doing a glorified mission briefing, in which all of the worthwhile and important information had been carefully placed to the side and censored out for the time being. Hazel was sure that there were going to be many more nights like this ahead of them.

For some time, managing that was going to be a matter of seeing where things went and nothing else. Hazel tried not to worry too much about that, but that was not such a simple task.

Eventually, after much tossing and turning, Hazel managed to go to sleep.


	33. Into The Woods

"Mission day!" Ruby screeched the words into the space of her team's dorm, hopping up onto her bed, being the first one among them to wake up. Yang cracked one eye open and stared at her little sister, watching as Ruby landed on the bed on her butt and bounced just a little bit.

It was a really good thing that she was used to this sort of thing.

"Why." Yang groaned, pushing herself upright and looking at the two other beds in the room. Weiss was sitting up and looking pretty close to downright _murderous_ , while Blake didn't exactly look happy about the announcement herself.

"We have a mission today!" Ruby said, smiling widely as she hopped a little bit again. "I mean, you guys got the message too. Oh, I'm so _excited_ , what if we see-"

"Ruby." Yang cut her sister off, and she did feel a little bit of guilt for that but didn't allow for it to take over her too badly for the time being. "We're all just getting up. Can you please give the rest of us time to wake up first?"

"Yeah, fine." Ruby said, pouting slightly as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm just really excited to go on a mission with you guys."

"It's the same departure rules as always, right?" Weiss asked, having climbed out of bed. She was in the process of fixing her bed, and honestly, who even _does_ things like that? Yang definitely didn't know, but she shook the thought from her mind and glanced over at Blake.

Blake was in the process of removing her clothes from her dresser, setting them down on top of her bed. "Yes." She said, sounding very annoyed still. "Not that we know who we'll be going with."

"Whoever it is, I'm sure they'll be fine." Weiss said, holding her head up high now that she was satisfied.

"Yeah?" Yang asked, pulling herself up out of bed finally. She could already tell that her hair was a mess. She was going to need to be able to brush it out before they left for the day, but that was going to have to wait. "How do you figure?"

Weiss turned to them, lacing her hands together behind her back in a proper way that seemed to just be normal for people in Atlas- even civilians cut from a military sort of cloth. "Beacon is full of capable Hunters." She explained, like that was going to be all that was needed to explain her current train of thought. "Whoever we're paired with will be more than adequate."

"I hope it's Uncle Qrow again." Ruby said, bouncing slightly still. She was going to be a handful when they were out in the field if that was any indicator, Yang thought. It was going to be a pain, but once they were out of Vale, Ruby was probably going to calm down.

"It might be." Yang said with a shrug. "I don't know if he's at Beacon today though."

"Yeah, me neither." Ruby mumbled. "I just want for our mission to go well."

"It'll be fine." Blake said,turning to face the rest of them. She seemed almost confident about that, but Yang couldn't exactly ignore the way that she shifted around nervously in the place where she was standing. "Unless..."

"Unless we see grimm again." Yang finished for Blake, because she was absolutely certain that was what Blake was trying to say. "Right?"

"Right." Blake said. Her expression changed, her brow furrowing before she picked up the bundle of things that she'd gotten out of her bag. "Unless we see grimm again."

Yang didn't really know what she was supposed to say at that. Maybe there was something that would have been able to comfort the rest of them about what was going on, but if there was Yang couldn't figure it out that easy. So she decided to go for the next best thing that was available to her.

"We aren't going to know until we're out there." Yang said, holding her head high. "The best thing that we can do is get ready to go, meet the Hunter that we've been assigned to, and see what happens once we're out there."

"Yang is right." Weiss said, looking around the rest of the room. "We have a specific time that we're supposed to be at the city gates. We should get ready and head out. Maybe we'll be able to get something to eat on the way."

And yeah, that suggestion sounded really good, Yang thought. She definitely wouldn't have minded going along with it. "Sounds good." With that, she went to the dresser that she'd been able to claim as her own. She removed a set of clothes and then turned to her teammates. "Thirty minutes?"

"Thirty minutes!" Ruby responded, fistbumping in excitement. "We're gonna do it!"

"Yeah, we are." Yang laughed.

With that, the team separated to get ready, and sure enough, by the time that things were ready for them to go, they were out the door and on their way out of Beacon. On the way out of the building, Yang noticed Team JNPR leaving at the same time as they were.

That was… interesting. There was the possibility that there were multiple teams being sent out at the same time. Somehow Yang hadn't really thought about that much as a real possibility.

If that happened, then Yang figured that the news of real Grimm being out in the forest was going to spread soon enough. She watched JNPR walk for just a moment before tearing her attention back towards her team.

They ended up walking down the same paths as JNPR did. As they approached the gate, Yang watched as Ruby slowed to a stop, and the others did the same along with her. Yang stopped herself, and watched as JNPR left with Professor Goodwitch.

There weren't any other teachers at the gate, and that was enough to send a spike of apprehension up Yang's spine. She looked over at Ruby, who looked a little bit worried about it all for herself.

"Yang?'

"Yeah," Yang replied, approaching the gate once JNPR was gone and leaning up against it. "I know."

"We could be assigned to Qrow again." Blake suggested, and Yang was surprised by that. There was a hint of something akin to fondness on Blake's voice. It left Yang with a lot of questions that she didn't really think she was going to get good answers for.

Weiss spoke up, shrugging and smiling softly herself. "He wasn't exactly punctual last time."

Blake and Weiss were probably right. It was entirely likely that they were being sent out with Qrow again. After all, he knew about what they'd seen in the forest the last time that they'd gone out.

Maybe that would be enough of a reason for them to be paired with him again?

Weiss stood by the gate and hanged her head just slightly. "Are we early?" She asked, and Yang looked over at her. She looked almost sad about the way that things were going, and that left Yang with some questions about the situation.

"We'll find out." Yang said, shrugging. "I mean, we go out-"

"-we fight," Ruby added, smiling widely. "Even if we don't run into any monsters, we'll probably get to learn _something_."

"Right." Weiss said, reaching down for the hilt of her sword at her side. She was spinning the cylinder of Dust attached to it idly, trying to concentrate on anything else. "You're right."

"We can only wait." Blake added. She paused, picked her head up, and glanced down the city road. Yang followed her partner's gaze, looking to figure out what she'd seen or heard.

She didn't see anything, and that left Yang with a few questions.

Blake blinked and looked back down at the ground. A minute or two later, someone finally arrived at the gate.

Yang hadn't been prepared for any of what they would see.

It was Qrow, walking alongside with the general and with a woman that Yang hadn't seen before. She paused for a moment, looking at the white haired woman and then over at Weiss. Weiss perked up a little bit, and she took a step or two forward.

It looked like Qrow was in a rather involved conversation with the other two. And also a little bit like he was getting ready to fight someone, if what Yang was seeing was correct.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby noticed him and bounced forward away from the gate. "Are we going with you?"

"Yeah, you are, kiddo." Qrow said, approaching them with his hands down in his pockets. "We've got a few hangers on, but we'll be fine."

Yang looked at the general and the woman that looked so much like Weiss and found herself feeling more than just a little unsure of what to think of them. Surely there had to be a reason for them to be there, but Yang also didn't want to be the one to bring it up. Lucky for her, Qrow was glad to just power on with his explanation of what was going on.

"Jimmy and Winter here are going to be following us to do their own recon." Qrow shot the general a look that couldn't exactly be described as kind, and Yang wasn't really surprised to see the way that he shot one back, just as harsh and cold as Qrow's had been. "Since apparently going on word of mouth isn't good enough anymore."

"We're here to do our own research." Winter snapped, turning towards Qrow. She had her hands balled into fists at her sides. The General's only response to reach out in front of her with his right arm, effectively penning her back so that she couldn't fight.

"Yeah, sure." Qrow muttered between looking at the four students that had been invited along. All of the girls looked at each other and fell into a line easily enough. Yang fell in beside Blake at the end, and Qrow smirked before glancing between the four of them. "So, who's leading the way?"

"I will!" Ruby cried, stepping out of the line and moving towards the front of their group. With that, everyone turned to follow after her. Yang felt a shiver crawl down her spine when she glanced back over her shoulder at the Atlesians. Ironwood and Winter looked at each other like they were trying to communicate something silently. It left Yang feeling dedicated to making sure that her team was going to be able to prove themselves as being good enough.

After all, these were people that were just there to follow and see what they had seen.

Ruby led the way though, and Yang fell into position with Blake at her side just behind her little sister. There was sort of an unspoken pact between the team- if someone needed to be backed up, the others were going to do it. They'd proven it back when Weiss' father had made a scene in the great hall at BEacon. Now, it was just a habit to prepare to act the same way.

Weiss lagged a little behind, but Yang tried not to think too much of it. She probably just wanted to be a bit closer to her sister if it was possible, and that wasn't something that she could blame Weiss for. It wasn't quite the same, but Yang knew for a fact that she would have done the same for Ruby if they had spent time separate.

It was a long walk, but sure enough they approached. The general decided to hang back towards the entrance of the clearing, almost like he was afraid to keep going or get too close. Winter followed them in though, a few paces ahead of Qrow.

Even still, even the ones that had been there before didn't allow for themselves to get too close to the pool. Not after what they'd been told. Yang stared down into it and saw her reflection stare back at her, transparent against liquid black.

She glanced up at the General and Winter and decided to speak up, since Qrow was apparently taking a back seat here.

"We made it." She said quietly, looking from Winter to the General to Qrow. "So-"

General Ironwood hesitated, and Yang just watched him. He looked from Qrow to Winter to the pool and let out a quiet sigh. He looked between the four girls, and Yang was sure that he was about to say something to them. Instead, he just stared back at the pool, or maybe even into it- looking for something that he hadn't identified.

"You've all done very well." The general said, holding his head high like he was trying to pass down an order of sorts. "I'm sure that Qrow can lead you on the way forward in this mission. We will be here."

"You're… staying?" Yang asked, blinking. "But I thought that-"

Qrow scoffed. "The first part of this mission was that you four were going to act as escorts to ese two.." He said with a shrug. "If we ran into anything, it would have been up to you four to go ahead and deal with it. Since we haven't seen anything, that means that we're moving on."

"That's... weird." Ruby said, blinking, and Yang really couldn't help but agree. This definitely wasn't how she'd been seeing the mission going at all. "I mean, what if-"

"If something happens here, the two of us are more than prepared to deal with it," The general said calmly. "I can assure you that your work is just important."

"Alright." Weiss said, and Yang raised an eyebrow because Weiss being the first to speak up in that case. She'd been expecting for anyone else to take the lead. "If you're sure."

"We'll be fine." Winter spoke up.

Weiss didn't say anything, just nodded slowly and let the others take the lead.

Qrow was the one to go to the front. The girls just exchanged a look before they started after him. Ruby first, then Weiss and Blake, and Yang decided that she was going to take up the rear of their group.

The four of them walked together until Qrow decided to speak up.

"Alright!" Qrow shouted, his hands behind his head in a very relaxed manner as he walked at the front. "So who wants to guess what we're doing here?"

"Are we on a scouting mission?" Ruby asked, her pace picking up enough so that she was walking at Qrow's side. "Because that makes sense."

"You've got it." Qrow answered. "Jimmy and Winter needed to see that thing up close and personal. We figured that the best way to deal with that was show you a proper escort mission."

"Right." Weiss said, catching up with Ruby. "So now that it's just us we're scouting..."

"But what are we scouting for?" Yang asked. "Because you really haven't given us a whole lot to go on."

"Guess." Qrow said. "Because you guys are able to figure it out."

"We're looking for more of those... pools, aren't we?" Blake asked, and she sounded so calm that Yang almost couldn't help but think that it was chilling. "You've all made a big deal out of us being the only ones to know."

"That's it." Qrow said with a quiet laugh to accompany it. "I know that you guys know what those things do, so I can guess that you know just how dangerous they are."

"If I may-" Weiss started, and there was something in her voice that didn't sound confident at all. "What makes everyone so sure that there are going to be more out here?"

Qrow paused, his expression far away. It was almost like he was looking for something up in the trees that nobody else knew about. "Well," Qrow began, his voice hesitant. "These things just have a history of popping up in clusters. And any of them appearing all of a sudden means that we don't know much about how this should go. Ozpin has us mostly working on guesswork based on how things used to be."

Yang nodded. "So how are we supposed to even find new ones if we don't know about how they show up in the first place?"

Qrow stopped where he was walking and turned around to face their team. All of them slowed to a stop behind him, and Yang slipped into place beside Blake.

He just stared down at all four of them.

"That's part of the problem." Qrow explained calmly. "When we don't understand things, it means that we can't predict how anything will end up going." He shrugged. "So we can only guess that we'll see cluster patterns like we used to."

"So we're just going to walk around out in the woods until we find something?" Yang asked, stepping forward and letting her arms splay out at her sides. "Because that sounds kind of useless."

"Yeah, well not every job is fighting." Qrow responds, and Yang is almost a little bit taken aback by the way that he sounds when he says it. "Sometimes what you're going to have to do is just walk until you find or see things."

Blake shifted at Yang's side, picking her head up like she was trying to listen for something. Qrow noticed it and looked over at her.

"What's up?" Qrow asked.

Blake almost locked up, her eyes going wide in surprise. She was clearly taken aback by something. Shocked, almost.

"Nothing." Blake said, snapping herself back down into a forced state of calm. "I just thought I-"

Qrow turned his head a little bit. "You wanna-"

"No." Blake said, but her voice came out a little too rushed. "I don't think it was anything."

"That's..." Weiss started, and she was looking over at Blake like she didn't know what she was supposed to say. "What if it is something?"

"Weiss is right." Yang said, turning to face Blake a little bit surprised. Qrow didn't say anything, just let himself hang back and cross his arms over his chest. That only told Yang that he was giving them a chance to work things out for themselves. "Because if there's something-"

"It was nothing!" Blake snapped at them, and for the first time she broke away from the ranks. She stared the four of them down, and all that Yang could think of was that Blake was like a cat with her hackles raised. Ready to lash out at any moment. "If it _was_ something-" She grit her teeth together. "I'm not talking about it, it was _nothing_."

And yeah, that? That was all that Yang needed to be able to lose her patience with this conversation. She could feel the heat burning low in her gut and coursing through her veins. The best thing that she could have done was to try and keep her temper under control, and so Yang just let herself ball her hands into fists at her sides in the hopes that she was going to be able to keep calm.

Despite that effort, when Yang spoke up she wasn't able to keep her frustration from coming out in her voice. "If you're acting like this, it's clearly not nothing!"

"Why won't you just listen to me?" Blake snapped right back at Yang. "It's nothing. I know that it's nothing!"

"But you won't tell us what it is!" Weiss cried, breaking into the conversation for herself. She took a step forward and ended up at Yang's side, for better or for worse. "What if there is something and you won't tell us?"

"Yeah!" Yang added.

"There. Isn't. _Anything_." Blake bit the words out with a certain sort of viciousness to them. With that she took the first step back, beginning on her way out of the circle. "I can't deal with this right now."

"Blake!" Ruby cried, taking a few steps forward to chase after her.

Blake just narrowed her eyes at Ruby and then broke into a sprint, leaving them behind for some reason that Yang couldn't think of. It was that more than anything else that made the rubber band in Yang just snap.

Her eyes lit up in red, and Yang felt like her entire body was on fire. She began to set foot after Blake, but was only stopped by her uncle.

"Stop." Qrow said, calmly.

"What?" Yang shouted at him. "Why are you-"

"She'll be back." Qrow said, and he sounded a lot more confident than Yang felt about the issue. "Chasing her won't make things any better. You'll only escalate things."

"What do you mean?" Yang turned towards her uncle, feeling herself ready to spring and attack over the suggestion. Blake was leaving and it was like he didn't even care about what was going on. "We can't just-"

"Give her a chance to cool down." Qrow snapped back at her, just as harshly. "I'm serious, Yang."

Yang blinked, knowing that her eyes were still bright red and still feeling like she was burning from the inside out. She wanted to be able to do just about anything, but wasn't exactly in a good position for it. She needed to be able to get something done and she needed to be able to clear things out.

And that meant that she needed to go after Blake.

"Sir," Weiss said, taking a tentative step forward. "What if-"

"She'll be fine." Qrow grumbled. "Trust me on this, your teammate can handle herself, and if she needs to, she'll come back."

"But-" Ruby piped up. Qrow just shot her a look that was deadly enough to kill. Yang watched her little sister's mouth clamp back shut and then accepted that maybe there was no getting out of this situation easy. She didn't like any of it.

Qrow just took the reins on the mission and decided that they were going to keep on going.

Blake would find them if she wanted to, and Yang...

Well, she wanted to believe that.

But she couldn't.


	34. Special Interests

She'd needed to _run,_ as far from her teammates and as far from her secrets as was physically possible. That had been all that Blake had been able to think about up until the second that she was reacting, pulling away, and setting off in a sprint in another direction. They were asking too many questions, and Blake…

Well, she was keeping too many secrets. An _uncomfortable_ number of them. That confrontation with her team, it had pushed too close to things that she didn't want to talk about. It had pushed too close to things that she hadn't even wanted to _think_ about.

She'd almost let something slip. Blake couldn't have that.

Blake knew what her position on it all was. She'd heard something out in the woods and she hadn't known how to react to it. Now she was there, alone, and unable to concentrate on anything else. The number of threats that could be out there was too high. It could have been grimm, or bandits, or The White Fang, or something else entirely.

Blake didn't know what, and she didn't even want to figure out where she was supposed to start with it all.

Among the arcing bows of the trees over her, out in the dark of the forest and far from the commonly walked paths, she could at least breathe for a moment. There was the possibility of grimm being out there, but Blake didn't think that she would see any. Not alone, at least.

Safety her first real priority, and that's how she found herself in a tree like she'd been not too long before. Blake crouched there, kept her eyes on the clearing below. She was glad that she had Gambol Shroud on her back, because otherwise she would have been much less comfortable about being there for the time being.

Whether or not she'd go back to her team was hard for her to think about. A strong part of Blake told her that to do that would be a bad idea.

But she had the same things that she'd come into Vale with. The clothes on her back and a weapon, and that was all she'd needed before. If she wanted to, she knew that she could have run away and kept on trying to make a new life for herself.

It would have been like any other time- her cutting a new existence from nothing out of lies, then running when she couldn't handle it anymore.

She took a deep breath, steeling herself for something that she couldn't quite identify. Blake knew that she was going to have to move on from the trees sometime. She'd have to go down and make a choice about what she was going to do, but that wasn't easy when she didn't have even the slightest idea as to what she would do.

Running was an option.

So was going back to her team.

She'd already run. Running was in her blood, something that she had nearly sculpted her life on. She'd gotten to the White Fang because she'd needed to run from home, from what her new life was. Blake had gotten from Beacon because she'd needed to run from the White Fang.

Now if she ran from her team, Blake didn't know where it would take her. Perhaps she'd find herself with bandits, or perhaps-

There was a rustling sound down in the brushes that made Blake freeze, stock still and barely breathing. She shifted her body, allowing herself to peer down into the clearing down below.

It was a creature, pure black aside from some white highlights and the occasional splash of red. Blake felt her heart begin to beat harder and harder in her chest as she thought back on the lessons that she'd gotten about grimm in the past.

Drawn to negative emotions. Dangerous. The best places to strike were the ones with no plating.

The odds are that she had just set off a beacon for any of the smaller monsters the moment that she'd run. It was possible that there was going to be something after her team too.

Blake's mind almost immediately rushed with worry because she didn't know that she could actually face a grimm on her own. The things that she was capable of when she had a team at her back was one thing, but alone...

She didn't like the prospect of what could go wrong either way. She didn't like the possibility that things could only turn to disaster at that point. Blake didn't like any of it.

She reached back for her sword where it rested on her back and watched as the grimm moved in the clearing down below. Her mind rushed as she tried to get an idea of what she was looking at, so Blake started at the top to figure it out before the grimm noticed that she was there.

It was smaller than anything that Blake had seen in person previously. The sort of creature that someone would have been placed in combat against in a situation where they would have a better chance of winning than they would against something else. It was hunched over, almost reptilian looking, with only two legs and a wide jaw and fangs.

If the classes that she'd been to previously were correct, then Blake knew that this beast was something called a creep. That wasn't going to be sufficient though, because Blake didn't know if she could fight a grimm alone. Or whether trying was a good idea when she was already tired.  
She needed to gather what she had, and she needed to be able to get back to her team sooner than later. Leaving them alone when they didn't have anyone else to help them along.

Blake knew that she could trust them, but...

If any of them got hurt because of something that she had done, Blake didn't know how she was supposed to be able to deal with it.

The girl closed her eyes, letting out a slow breath in an attempt to relax as much as she could. She reached back over her shoulder and removed her weapon from her back. It made a little bit more noise than Blake personally liked, so she ducked further into the leaves of the tree that she was in with the hopes of being able to stay secure.

The grimm down in the clearing stopped. It lifted its head up, sniffing the air for something that Blake couldn't name. When she got back to the others, she was going to need to be able to remember it.

Blake swallowed and made sure to keep balance as she levelled her gun on the grimm. She focused on it, prepared to fire as soon as she needed to. However, the grimm picked its head up like it had just heard something, and Blake went still again.

There was shouting, a couple of people. Not her team, too male, too old. Blake blinked and leaned forward, watching as two men came into her view. Both of them were dressed differently, like nothing Blake had ever seen before as a child. They didn't wear the equipment of the White Fang, and they weren't dressed as civilians.

The first sign that she might have had any idea as to what they were was when she saw the weapon on the taller man's back. It wasn't a folding frame weapon, that much was obvious. It was a blade and gun, hobbled together with tape and rope. A clear imitation of something that they couldn't have gotten otherwise.

 _Bandits_.

The shorter of the two saw the grimm and fell back just out of view, and Blake heard a pair of gunshots go off before the grimm let out a roar, almost bracing itself. There was the sound of more rustling, and Blake watched as a swarm began to arrive from the bushes. She didn't know how she had missed it, and it left her wondering about her team.

She needed to get back to them, and getting caught by some bandits...

She was only going to jeopardize things.

"There's more!" The first man shouted, looking back at his partner as he also fell back out of view. "Call her!"

"Now?" The second man responded, looking surprised. "Are you sure?"

"I am!" The man replied, and Blake leveled her gun on another one of the grimm. Letting these men get killed would be a mistake, and Blake didn't want to deal with what would come from it. Not when it would make things worse. Not when it would put them more at risk.

She waited, and when the grimm that she was aiming at leapt to action in pursuit of the two men, Blake allowed for herself to pull the trigger. The first man jumped, and Blake watched his head whorl around in an attempt to figure out where the shot came from. Blake pulled the trigger a second time, then a third, and watched as the grimm fell.

The second man was mid-combat, and the first was rushing in to help.

Blake aimed for another grimm and was about to leap down when she heard something. The loud flapping of wings, which almost immediately disappeared. Blake blinked, and watched as a tall woman with thick black hair and red clothes stepped into view. Her face was covered in a familiar sort of bone-white mask, painted over in red. She had a weapon at her side, and Blake knew the look of this sort of woman.

A huntress.

Without any hesitation, the woman moved to action and cut through the grimm that were left with too-fast movements. She was moving so efficiently that it wasn't a surprise by any means.

Within moments, the grimm were dead, fallen and dissipating.

The two men relaxed slightly, the woman stood tall, and Blake stayed up in the tree, afraid to come out and reveal herself.

"What happened?" The woman asked the two men. The first one, who was tall with brown skin and thick black hair stepped forward.

"We found the one grimm, then the others followed." He explained, holding his head up high. "We aren't alone though."

"What do you mean, we aren't alone?" The woman asked, her head turning as she looked up to the trees to try and figure out what the two men were talking about. "You didn't eliminate the threat?"

"They only fired from the trees." The shorter man said, stepping forward to stand beside his partner. "Only helped us to get rid of the grimm."

"I see." The woman replied. She turned slowly, her eyes scanning the trees until she stopped dead in her tracks, eyes locked onto where Blake was.

Blake swallowed, her mind rushing with a thousand ways that this could go wrong. Staying up in the tree wouldn't get her anywhere, but going down to talk to them had the possibility of her getting killed.

"Why don't you come down?" The woman said from behind the white and red mask that reminded Blake so much of a grimm. "The forest is no place for a child."

Blake swallowed and leaned forward slightly, pushing the limbs of the tree aside as she got closer. Her head began to peek through the trees.

The woman watched her expectantly and just nodded, almost giving permission. She also made a show of waving an arm at her side to tell the people at her side to stay there and do nothing.

It was perhaps the best thing that Blake could hope for.

Blake stepped forward and allowed for herself to drop down from the tree and into the clearing. She didn't let go of her weapons and landed there at the base of the tree, kneeling forward on one knee before slowly raising back up into a standing position.

"Huntress." The first man said, only to be waved off by the woman.

"No." She said, taking a step or two forward. "She's too young."

"She could be like-" The shorter of the two men started, but was only silenced by a sharp glare from the woman. He swallowed audibly and slipped back just slightly. "You're right."

The woman took another step forward, and she stared down at Blake before asking the question. "What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice cool and stony. "Fighting grimm?"

"I'm-" Blake started only to stop again when she realized that any explanation that she could give would only be woefully inadequate. "No." She explained.

"Beacon?" The woman asked, "or something else?"

"Beacon." Blake admitted, because at the very least if she were transparent she could make sense of things. Or she could avoid getting herself killed. Whichever.

The woman nodded. "Where is your team?"

Blake swallowed. "I left them." She admitted. "I'm alone."

The woman nodded again, unwavering as she sheathed her sword. It should have been a comfort that she was doing that, but Blake didn't feel any of it. Even still, the woman was acting like a threat and Blake didn't know how she was supposed to navigate what was happening at all.

"Alone." The woman repeated as her masked gaze slipped over towards where the bodies of the grimm were still turning to smoke. "Then you must be the one that drew them in."

Blake looked over at the spot where the grimm had died for herself and nodded slowly.

"You should get back to your team." The woman said calmly. She looked to her two companions. "You two, go back to camp. I'll be seeing you soon."

The two men exchanged a look and both gave shallow bows as they began off towards wherever their camp was. The fact that Blake was being left alone with them was a surprise, one that Blake didn't quite know how to handle.

She swallowed.

"What is your name?" The woman asked.

"Blake."

"Blake." The woman repeated her name. "Keep in mind that you have seen nothing here, girl." She ordered calmly, and Blake nodded because she didn't want to risk making things worse for herself. "If word of our presence makes it to anyone at your school, there will be _trouble_."

There was a long moment where Blake felt like she had no choice but to nod along in the hopes that she could diffuse the situation even more for herself. It wouldn't be that simple, of course.

"I won't say anything." Blake said finally, keeping her voice down. "I just want to get back to my team."

"And you will." The woman replied, but she paused, watching Blake closely. "I should tell you though," She turned, just beginning to walk away from Blake but still watching Blake closely over her shoulder as she walked forward. "You don't want to abandon your team."

And with that, the woman left, and Blake was alone, standing in a clearing, completely unsure of what she was supposed to do with herself. She was going to need to figure out how to explain her absence, that much was clear.

Blake just didn't know where she was supposed to be able to start.

She allowed herself a little bit of extra time to calm herself before she turned and started on her way back to where she had last seen her teammates.

Whether or not she was going to keep a secret as she'd been asked was something that Blake couldn't be so sure of.

It was perhaps better that way.

At the very least, Blake knew that there was one person that she was going to be able to trust.

She'd tell Qrow. Nobody else needed to know.

* * *

It had been a few days since the green haired girl had joined with them, and Watts had spent every waking minute of those days feeling _very_ unhappy with the addition. Them gaining an extra hanger on didn't do anything for their group from a practical standpoint, regardless of what the plans were with Cinder. When he'd given her the instructions to find a teammate, he hadn't been expecting that Cinder would have _succeeded._

The fact that the girl was weak and starving had only made her more of an annoyance.

Their group was stopped in a town by the name of Higanbana when Watts split off from the others in search of information. He wandered his way into a bar, leaving Hazel to deal with the children (And really, Watts hated the way that thinking of them in those terms felt. There was a certain sort of bitterness to it that he couldn't deny.)

Watts was there in that city for one reason in particular, and it was to make contact and get some useful information. He was fortunate though, in that he had good people tucked across the four kingdoms waiting to give up information to him when they could.

Bars were always good places to gather information, even if they did have many downsides to using them. The lack of privacy being one, but only one among many.

He walked up to the second floor of the inn, and took a seat at one of the tables as he waited for his company.

Watts had needed to go through quite a few pains to get into contact with the esteemed Leonardo Lionheart. The man was one of some importance, and Watts had been fortunate enough to have his assistance in the past. The good thing about Leo was that the man was absolutely _spineless_ , and had failed to fulfill his duties to others in the past because of it.

Having learned how the man ticked years before gave Watts a rather distinct advantage that he was only too glad to use.

The truth of the matter was that Watts had decided to establish contact with Lionheart again about a week before when they'd been stopped in a town. All that he'd needed to do was make a call from a town hall that had an extended range transmitter, and then getting in contact with Lionheart had been easy. While the others had been camping in the woods, Watts had been hard at work finding a relatively useful source of information.

Watts knew that his quarry would be there soon, and once that happened then it would easy enough.

He sat there in the bar, swirling a drink in his hand and waiting calmly for his guest. There was the sound of a door opening, and Watts listened in for voices of any sort.

From downstairs he was able to hear the sound of someone asking about him, a familiar voice that was very assuredly not his travel partner's.

Watts just waited, and soon enough Leonardo was making his appearance, his head poking up over the railing of the stairs. With that, Watts wasn't able to help the smile that split over his expression.

"Leonardo." Watts said, still grinning. "I'm sure that the trip wasn't so terrible for you?"

"It was a rather... difficult journey." Leonardo responded as he approached Watts' table. He took the seat directly across from Arthur, and the first thing that Watts noticed about him was that the man looked nervous. Almost like he was shaking, and that left Watts with a great many questions. All ones that Watts was certain he'd be able to get answers to in his own time. "How are you?"

"Me?" Watts asked, still grinning as he brought his glass up to his face so that he could take a drink. "Why, I am quite well I must say. I'm sure that you can understand things like how travel can take a toll. And going from village to village on foot is unfavorable at best."

"Of course." Leonardo responded. His eyes were wide and almost scared. Watts had no problem preying on that. "Is there some reason that you wanted me?"

"There was." Watts replied, swirling his drink slowly in his hands. He just needed to piece together the best way for him to move forward and explain it all. "Although I will say that I'm not the greatest fan of this particular venue."

The way that Leonardo's mouth dropped open in surprise at that said everything that Watts needed to know. Things that he would be able to work out for himself.

"The... venue?" Leonardo asked, blinking. "Is there something wrong?"

"I would prefer that you and I speak somewhere more..." Watts grinned. "Private."

Leo stared across the table at him, and Watts could feel the control that he had over the man only getting stronger. Anything that he said, he was sure Leo would ultimately do. It was just a matter of making it happen. Instead of saying anything else to the headmaster, whose mouth had dropped open, Watts leaned back in his seat.

He crossed on leg over the other and allowed for himself to drape an arm over the back of his seat.

Finally, Leo sputtered to attention. "Of course." He said, leaning forward and bracing himself against the table with open palms. Clearly, he was prepared to move as soon as Watts gave a sign that he was ready to. "If that is what you wish."

Watts grinned and finished the rest of his drink before standing up. He stretched for just a moment before turning and nodding his head in the direction of one of the rooms. Wordlessly, Leo followed after him, hunched in on himself the entire way.

The two of them reached the room, and once Leo was inside Watts pulled the door shut behind them a little more roughly than it should have.

Leo jumped and stared at him. This was the man that they called a headmaster, Watts thought. Once upon a time, Leonardo Lionheart had been renowned. A strong fighter with a good reputation for being able to leap to the front of every battle.

It left Watts with a lot of questions as to what had happened to make Leo the way that he was. The man that he'd heard about was nothing like the coward that he came to know.

But, that was a matter for another time. First he needed to extract some information from the headmaster.

"Oniyuri." Watts started, seating himself in the room with his back to the door. It boxed Leo in, since the only other way to get out would be for the man to use the window. It was a shame that the two of them were on the second floor of the building, and Lionheart...

Well, Watts had his doubts that the man would take such an action himself.

"Yes," Leonardo responded, reaching into his coat to remove a small package. He set it down on the small table that the two of them were sharing, and Watts watched as Leonardo unpacked it. First to come out was the man's scroll, then a copy of a map of Anima, and after that a collection of notes. "You said that you were looking for someone there?"

"I am." Watts responded. "Although you don't need to know the details of my search."

Leonardo stared at him with wide eyes, and closed them before letting out a sigh and continuing. "Oniyuri is one of the more remote villages." He explained as calmly as he could. "It's known for having been all but stomped years ago by a grimm. Nobody has lived there in ages."

"So then why would anyone be there?" Watts asked, rolling his eyes. "I know the city's reputation, I need to know what anyone would be doing there."

Leonardo hesitated and sighed. "It's an incomplete settlement. Nobody ever managed to move in there. I suppose that bandits may pass through from time to time, but..."

"But?" Watts asked, because that was clarification that he wanted so badly. "But what, Lionheart?"

Lionheart reached for his scroll and opened it. "I suppose that you aren't looking for my opinion, are you?" The man asked, his eyes flicking up to Watts for just a moment. "You want something else?"

Watts nodded and reached out, letting his hand rest with his flat palm up. Lionheart understood and set the scroll there before Watts snatched it right away and began to go through it.

It was a rather simple model of scroll, the sort of thing that Watts would have used several times over throughout the course of his life. Most men would be able to get a somewhat similar model off of the shelves in most stores, and so Watts was sure that if he truly needed to he could take advantage of that technology.

"I am." Watts confirmed though, scrolling through Lionheart's files. "Would I be correct to suspect that you have copies of all of Mistral's hunter dossiers?"

Lionheart paused, and Watts saw him draw back out of the corner of his eye as he realized that Watts was looking for someone rather than something. Watts couldn't help but smile as he reached for his own scroll and began to copy information from one device to the other as quickly as he could.

"I'm guessing that you've already found them?" Leonardo asked as he looked on as Watts did his work, almost helplessly. "Seeing as-"

"Yes, I have, no thanks to you." Watts muttered as he transferred name after name from one scroll to the other. Shields, Heather. Bowie, Reyn. Vix, Champagne. Name after name after name, all the names of huntresses that were local to Mistral. If they were truly searching for a Maiden, then the likelihood that she was a licensed hunter was surely in their favor. In that case, Watts didn't want to give up that possibility. "I can't say that I was expecting to see so many of your hunters on assignment."

Lionheart blinked, sighed, and nodded. "Things have been rather difficult in all of the kingdoms lately." He explained calmly, ducking his head like he thought that the two of them were still being watched for some reason. "I am officially absent from Mistral for work purposes, but should truly be back at the Academy."

"Is that so?"

"Yes." Lionheart replied. "There have been reports out of Vale of grimm arising in the forest near the city." Lionheart began to explain. Watts paused because that was something that he hadn't heard anything about personally. Himself and the others had been spending so much time in the wilderness camping that information from the other kingdoms had been rare.

"Grimm you say?" Watts asked, schooling his expression into one of the most absolute calm that he could possibly manage. "Near Vale?"

Lionheart nodded. "Mistral's remaining hunters are on near constant patrol to ensure that our kingdom is safe." He said as calmly as he could manage. "I can also say that there may be other specialists aside from yourself, Arthur. Ironwood hasn't exactly been forthcoming on what he's doing with his men these days."

For the first time in the conversation, Watts was taken aback. His history in Atlas was no secret, and it did make sense that one of the headmasters would know of his past as a Specialist. However, Watts had taken comfort in the lack of requirement for uniform that had been there for field work long before.

It was entirely possible that he was being mistaken for a current specialist. Even when that couldn't have been further from the truth.

"Other specialists?" Watts asked. "You mean to tell me that I haven't been sent on assignment from Atlas all alone?"

"I would suppose that you are." Lionheart said as Watts scrolled to a stop, eyebrow raising into his hairline as his gaze slipped onto one name in particular. Watts hesitated, because it left a lot of questions with him that he would have to ask later. Instead of looking for elaboration, he copied it into his scroll and continued with what he was doing.

"A pity." Watts mumbled as he finally copied the last of the names onto his scroll. Satisfied, he tucked it back away and tossed Leonardo's scroll back onto the table between the two of them where it landed with a clatter. "Although I suspect that the general would have good reason for it."

Leonardo nodded, and Watts smiled. "You don't need to tell anyone that the two of us have met here, you know that, Lionheart." He said as calmly as he could mange. "After all, wherever I am is sure to be confidential. If the general found out that classified information slipped out-" He smiled. "Well, you know how my old teammate is. It would surely go poorly for everyone involved."

There was a moment of quiet before Lionheart said anything else. "Should I suspect to see you again soon?" he asked. "Seeing as you're mostly here to get information it seems."

"That-" Watts explained. "Will depend on whether or not I find my bounty or not, Professor Lionheart. If I don't find your help or your information to be of any use, then I won't be back looking for more. I'm sure that this is something that you can understand?"

"Yes," Lionheart sighed. "Of course."

And that, that was all that Watts wanted. He got up and stretched, standing over Lionheart and looking down at the other man. "I believe that I may have to hurry along." He said with the same sort of stony resolve that he'd been using previously during their meeting. "Thank you for your help."

"Yes," Lionheart said, reaching out for his scroll and packing it back into his things the same way that Watts had done so. "Of course. I hope to hear from you again. "

"As I have said," Arthur replied with a roll of his eyes as he approached the door to the room that the two of them were meeting in. "I am making absolutely no promises."

"Yes." Lionheart replied. "Of course."

Watts ignored it and let the door slam behind him before going off to find out where his teammates had gotten off to. After all, they were going to need to have a _very_ serious talk as a team all too soon.


	35. Information Sharing

"Why would Blake just run away from us like that?" Ruby asked, her voice raising in pitch just a little too much as she paced back and forth in her team's dorm. She didn't know what to make of things anymore, not when Blake was missing for no reason that anyone could figure out. If left Ruby feeling worried- more than that, she was scared, and she knew that her teammate had run off into a forest where they all _knew_ grimm existed.

She also knew that Yang was angry, and for that reason it felt like the only one that she could talk to about Blake's disappearance was Weiss. And even then, she couldn't exactly get a good feeling for what Weiss felt- regardless of whether she was probably the most neutral party there.

"I don't know, Ruby." Weiss sighed, sitting on her bed with her legs tucked in neatly beneath her. "She ran for a reason. She didn't tell us anything, but..." Weiss' eyes flicked away from Ruby, like the heiress was steeling herself for something. It left Ruby feeling like there was an uncomfortable stirring down in her stomach. "I don't think Blake does anything without a good reason first. And I'm worried."

"So am I." Ruby mumbled, flopping back onto her bed and letting her legs swing a little bit as she did so. "We _know_ what's out there, and if Blake is out there alone-"

She shook her head, curling up on her side and turning to face Weiss. Her teammate had a notebook open in front of her, a pale blue and silver pen resting on top of its pages like Weiss had decided to take a study break. Weiss paused, sighing.

"I know, Ruby." Weiss murmured, sadness flicking across her expression that Ruby couldn't quite read. "We're all worried about her. Just... in our own ways."

"Yang didn't seem worried." Ruby muttered, and she sounded frustrated. "I know that Uncle Qrow said he'd go on patrol and look for her, but..."

"But he isn't back yet." Weiss finished for Ruby, and that only managed to bring a rather significant feeling of relief. "I get it."

Ruby nodded and closed her eyes. "I just wonder what she was so afraid of out there..."

"As much as I want to know," Weiss began, reaching for her pen again and uncapping it. "I get the feeling that it probably isn't our business. If Blake feels that she needs to tell us-" Weiss pulled her notebook back closer to her. "She will."

Ruby nodded and forced herself to sit up. Maybe sitting around while Weiss was trying to study wasn't the best idea. Maybe she should have gone off to find Yang, because at the very least she could see how her sister was doing. It was likely that Yang was either in one of the training rooms or that she'd gone back home to see their dad for the night. Maybe she just needed to be seperate from the rest of them.

Really, Ruby just didn't know what to do with herself.

She sighed heavily. "I think I'm going to go for a walk." Ruby said, blinking as she hopped off of the bed and stretched. "Is... that okay?"

"Of course it is." Weiss replied, glancing up at her with wide eyes. "You know how to get ahold of me."

Ruby smiled. "Yeah," she began as she walked to the door and pulled it open. "You're right. I'll talk to you later?"

"Of course." Weiss said, clearly already focused back on her work instead of what Ruby was doing. "Just try to stay out of trouble."

"What?" Ruby exclaimed as she held the door open behind her. "I don't get into trouble."

"Goodbye, Ruby." Weiss repeated, still focused on her work. This time, she sounded distinctly annoyed.

Ruby frowned and stepped out, letting the door close behind her before she finally began on her way down the hall. Standing around in the dorms didn't feel like it was going to make her feel better at all, so the idea of wandering for a bit around campus didn't seem terrible.

At the very least, she would be able to get a good view from the docks. Vale always managed to look beautiful at night, and there weren't usually people there at the docks late in the evening.

But, Ruby thought to herself, a snack wouldn't hurt. She decided to head towards the Great Hall. The walk through campus was calm. The air was cool, and there was a light breeze that blew through her hair and made Ruby feel just a little bit lighter for it.

She pushed her way into the great hall and saw that one of the tables was occupied, by someone that had decided to come out late at night to enjoy an evening snack and study.

The girl at the table looked up at her and smiled almost as soon as she saw Ruby.

"Hey, Pyrrha." Ruby greeted the older girl as she made her way in. "Uh... how are you?"

"I'm quite well, Ruby." Pyrrha responded, smiling as she sat up straight. "Ren and I come here to study sometimes since it's usually quieter. Would you like to join us?"

Ruby hesitated, because she didn't really know that she wanted to join them. At the very least, it was a chance for her to sit down with someone that was outside of her team.

"Uh, I dunno." Ruby said, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other. "I don't want to interrupt or anything."

"It's quite alright." Ren said, coming in from the kitchen. He was carrying a pot of something, and Ruby paused because she didn't even know if it was possible for people to use the kitchens there. Whatever it was that he'd made, it smelled amazing. "We don't mind the company."

Ruby paused and sighed before dropping into the seat across from Pyrrha. "Thanks." She said, making herself as comfortable as possible in her seat. That didn't necessarily mean that she was comfortable there, but it was a chance to relax. "Things have been kind of... crazy since we got back."

Pyrrha and Ren looked at each other, their eyes meeting for a moment. Ren didn't say anything, just set the pot down in the middle of the table before excusing himself to go and get something. Pyrrha hesitated before speaking up.

"Your teammate is missing, isn't she? There was a rumor but-" Pyrrha began but stopped herself, closing her book and sliding it off to the side. "Are you all... doing okay?"

"Uh, I dunno." Ruby sighed. "There's a hunter out looking for her, but the three of us aren't feeling that good about it. Weiss is worried and Yang is..." Her voice trailed off. "More angry than anything else, I think. But she's worried too."

"And what about you?" Pyrrha asked. "Are you holding up alright?"

"I don't know." Ruby sighed, dropping forward and pillowing her head on her arms. "Things have just been so crazy lately that I don't know what to do." Her voice dropped in volume and Ruby couldn't help but think that she wanted to tell someone about the Beringel.

Someone that didn't already know.

Ren nudged Ruby's arm gently, and she picked her head up and watched as he set a few bowls down near her. She sat up properly and reached out for one of them. She hadn't really been expecting to be offered a chance to have anything to eat. Especially not something that looked like it was homemade.

Pyrrha picked up one of the bowls and stood up, moving towards the pot before she said anything else. "Your team is new here," She said calmly, smiling down at Ruby with so much more warmth than Ruby felt like she'd seen from anyone in some time. At least since Blake had decided to run. "It's okay to feel a little bit caught up with things. I would even say that it's normal. You're still all trying to get used to Beacon and being together."

And yeah, that did leave Ruby feeling a little bit reassured over things, but not by much. People running away from their teams wasn't normal, neither were grimm in the forests or countless teams being sent out into the field on patrol looking for something.

So many people had absolutely no idea what was going on, and Ruby was afraid for them because when they did find out-

Well, what were they supposed to do? It wasn't really like any of them were being given really clear directions about anything. Ruby felt lucky that she and her team had been sent out with Qrow before, but once more people knew about there being any grimm out in the forests that weren't the gigantic one, what if things just got worse?

For a moment, Ruby thought back to her classes and to her family's stories. There had always been that belief that negative feelings- anger and sadness would bring the monsters. Maybe her team was being kept quiet about what they had seen out in the forest for a reason.

But the secret couldn't stay forever.

"Pyrrha is right." Ren said calmly, holding his head up high as he stirred the pot and began to spoon some into his own bowl. "These feelings of trepidation are normal for any other student. Everyone on JNPR felt such things when we were first placed together."

"But what about Blake?" Ruby asked, because ultimately it was her teammate that was on her mind the most. "I mean, she ran away from the team when we were on a mission and..." Ruby's voice trailed up and she picked her hand up so that she could wipe the tears that were beginning to prickle at her eyes away with her sleeve. "That's not normal and we don't know anything about what is going to happen."

There was some quiet, and Ruby looked up to watch as Ren set a spoon down beside her bowl. He was there, stoic as ever and having him there and that quiet and calm was nice. It was almost comforting, even, and Ruby was glad for it. Especially when Pyrrha was also there, as calm and kind and sweet as ever.

The red haired girl took her seat at Ruby's side and set a careful hand on her shoulder. "It's okay." Pyrrha said, and her words only managed to feel close to meaningless. Ruby didn't blame her for that though, because Pyrrha really didn't have anything to do with what was going wrong. "Nobody expects you to be okay with one of your teammates missing. Anyone that does is expecting too much from you."

Ruby sniffled, picking up the spoon that she had been given and pulling the bowl that Ren had made her closer to her. When she looked down into it, she couldn't help but wonder exactly how long he'd been at work on the meal. It made her wonder whether or not she was intruding on something that she wasn't supposed to.

"I know." Ruby mumbled, looking down into her bowl still. "I'm just afraid for Blake. The forest is..." Her voice trailed off as she began to realize that she was already beginning to stray too close to saying more than she should have. If she did, then she was sure to get her team in trouble, and that was something that Ruby definitely did _not_ want to deal with.

Not now. Not with Blake missing, and grimm in the forests of all manner of sizes, and who even knew what _else_ was out there.

Blake had figured something out that the rest of them hadn't. That much was obvious.

Ruby bit her tongue and forced herself to continue in a way that would be less likely to lead to her saying too much. "It's dangerous out there, and Blake is alone. If we could be out there looking for her, I know that me and Yang would be there for sure. I don't know about Weiss, but we could look for Blake, and-"

There was a moment of silence, and Ruby looked up, glancing between Pyrrha and Ren. The two of them had pulled their attention away from her, staring at each other like the two of them were sharing a private conversation. Once again, Ruby was left feeling like she was only managing to intrude on things.

Finally, it was Pyrrha that spoke up.

"I think that everyone that could help and look for your teammate would do it." The red haired woman said, holding her head high and beginning to pull herself away from the table. "You said that there were hunters out looking for Blake?"

Ruby paused, her eyes going wide as she realized just what was being suggested. It was dangerous, and it was sure to get everyone involved in trouble and-

And she would be a fool to turn it down, when Blake needed help. Ruby nodded, clamping her mouth shut. Pyrrha looked at Ren, who just sighed and nodded before reaching for his pocket and pulling out his scroll. He took a few steps away from Ruby and Pyrrha, and it took Ruby a second to realize that Ren had been asked to rally the troops for them.

Pyrrha was suggesting direct action, and they were going to take it.

She locked her eyes onto Pyrrha's. "Do you mean it?" Ruby asked, feeling a little more than unsure of what to do at this point. She figured that she should have been calling for Yang and Weiss, but Ruby really didn't want to misread things and make matters worse.

"Of course we mean it." Pyrrha said smiling.

Even there, with all of them out of their battle clothes and sitting in an empty dining hall, it felt like Pyrrha was preparing for a fight. And Ruby… didn't really know what to think of it, for so many different reasons. It wasn't as though she was best friends with anyone on team JNPR, and yet here was half of that team preparing to go looking for Blake.

Ruby nodded and stood up. "Should I… call my team?"

Pyrrha tilted her head to the side just slightly and watched Ruby, in a way that made Ruby feel as though she was about to be taken apart and examined. But there was no cruelty to it, only a genuine sort of kindness that Ruby admired. "I would think that you would."

Ruby nodded and reached into her pocket, removing her scroll and dialing Weiss first because she knew for a fact that the heiress was going to be easier to get ahold of regardless. Yang had decided to get away from Beacon for the night, but Weiss was at the dorm.

There was a ring, followed closely by yet another before Weiss' voice came through. "What do you want, Ruby?"

"Uh, well there was something that I wanted to ask you." Ruby said, getting up and taking a step away from the table and turning away from Pyrrha and Ren, who had just come back in. "I talked to someone about what happened and..." Ruby paused, glancing back over her shoulder to see the others before allowing herself to say anything else. "They want to help us look for Blake."

"What?" Weiss asked, her voice dipping in volume, like she was afraid that she was suddenly being listened in on. "What are you talking about?"

"Blake!" Ruby repeated. "Pyrrha wants to help us find her, and-" She cut herself off before taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down before she could allow herself to say more. "And I want to take the chance to do that if we can. If I could go with you and Yang, it would be better."

There was the sound of a sigh, and over the other end of the scroll, Ruby was able to hear the sound of a book being closed and a pen being capped. It was more than enough to make her heart jump up into her throat, because it meant that she at least had Weiss on her side.

Finally, she heard some quiet beeping that Ruby recognized easily as being the sound of Weiss opening her locker. "Where are you?"

"The great hall." Ruby responded, looking back at Pyrrha and Ren. The two of them were talking in a way that made it look like they were trying to conspire over something. It was possible that they were even waiting on Ruby to finish what she was doing so that they could make plans. "But... I might be coming back to the room in a few minutes to get Crescent Rose anyways."

"Just keep me updated." Weiss demanded before logging off of the call with a quiet beep.

Ruby sighed and sent off a message to Yang before turning to Pyrrha and Ren. "So..."

"We aren't going to want to go looking for your teammate in our uniforms." Ren said calmly, stepping forward with his hands resting together behind his back. "We should each go and prepare for a mission and then meet back here at a specified time."

Pyrrha nodded, standing up tall. "Of course. It will also give you a chance to get your teammates together before we leave." She turned slightly, looking down into Ruby's eyes while still smiling. "I'm sure that we will be able to find your teammate."

Ruby nodded and wiped at her eye so that she could stop any tears before they could get to be a problem. "Okay." She said, taking a half-step away from Ren and Pyrrha. "So..."

"We'll meet back here in an hour." Pyrrha said, smiling at Ren. "And we can try to get the food in the fridge so that we will have something to eat whenever we get back from finding Blake. I think everyone will probably want it."

"Right." Ruby forced on a smile before turning and bounding out the door and practically sprinting the way back to her dorm where she found that Weiss and Yang had already met. Weiss was there, half into her battle clothes and with Myrtenaster lying on her bed, and Yang was in the process of opening the locker that Ember Celica were in.

They both looked at Ruby, and smiled like they had never been more glad to see her in their lives.

Ruby nodded to them and went to her own locker, opening it up and reaching in so that she could start doing the same.

* * *

Tyrian twitched as he waited by the city gates. He had been told that he needed to be prepared to leave as soon as the rest of his team arrived there, but that did absolutely _nothing_ to calm his nerves. Not when they were so close to fulfilling a task for their Goddess, not when things were apparently about to change drastically.

The girls would be the first to meet him. Cinder, walking tall like she had gone all but entirely uninjured over the course of their travels. Of course, the green haired girl was still trailing behind her, nervous looking and still seeming entirely too frail.

It made a pang of something terrible echo deep in Tyrian, a sort of familiarity with the girl's situation that he had thought he'd gotten far from over the course of his time with the others. After all, a child joining with thieves and murderers for the sake of a meal?

Why, it felt nearly _autobiographical_.

Tyrian grinned wide and forced back a giggle before dipping low into a bow, his tail tightly curled around his body as he greeted them.

"My dear Ember and the gem." He said, smiling all too wide and peering up at the two women from where he was standing. "Are you prepared for a journey?"

"Hello, Tyrian." Cinder deadpanned, already sounding annoyed with him. Tyrian forced down a tweak of annoyance and stood back up straight. "And yes, we are."

"All the better so that we may serve our Goddess." Tyrian said, smiling wide and feeling rather twitchy as he waited for the rest of their group to arrive. He looked between the girls and saw as a look of confusion flit across Emerald's face. In a way, it managed to answer some of his questions that he hadn't dared to ask just yet. "Dearest Watts has made it sound as though we will be leaving for Oniyuri. It will be a rather difficult journey ahead-"

"Enough, insect." Watts' voice was enough to make Tyrian jolt in surprise because he hadn't been expecting to have any company just yet that day. He blinked and stood up straight, rearranging himself a little way away from the two girls and trying to brush off his teammate's comment. Emerald and Cinder looked a little bit relieved, but Tyrian didn't say too much. Instead, he wanted to shrink back as the protests that he wanted to make died on his tongue, easy as breathing. "You truly do nothing of use."

"That isn't true." Another voice broke in, this one much lower in volume and much more broken and craggier. Hazel, of course. With him there, that meant that they would be prepared to leave the city. "He has been useful."

"And yet he's never contributed anything of use." Watts said, frowning rather obviously from behind his mustache. "And standing by here aids us in absolutely no ways."

Hazel groaned and looked away from Watts before nodding towards the road and taking the lead for their group. The two girls looked from one to another before deciding to follow after him, almost like Emerald and Cinder were afraid to be left alone with Watts or Tyrian himself.

It should have felt like an insult, but at that point in his life, it was something that Tyrian was entirely too used to. So he just decided to duck his head and follow after, tugging his coat over his body a little bit tighter. Watts took the walk at his own pace, almost leisurely.

Their group travelled in near silence until they were nearly a full mile away from the city. It was only then did Watts allow himself to begin to explain things and tell them what he had learned in his supposed meetings with his contacts of choice.

"Grimm have reached the other continents." Watts said, announcing it as though the words held no weight to them at all, either that or he simply didn't care and-

It was Watts, so Tyrian was much more willing to put his lien on that particular possibility.

"Grimm?" Emerald asked, her bright red eyes widening in something between surprise and shock. "You mean-"

"I mean that there are grimm around the other kingdoms, are you daft?" Arthur snarled. "The point is that they have been spreading and so some of us should try to remain more aware than others." He peered at Emerald, a devilish sort of grin stretching across his expressions. Cinder looked from her chosen companion and then back to Watts with surprise on her face.

Tyrian couldn't restrain himself when the laughter started, shaking his shoulders and making him stop dead in his tracks because this was truly something that could have been expected. These children would not know the true weight of their Goddess' blessings.

"What's so funny?" Emerald all but snapped, dropping down into a position that made it look like she was preparing to reach back for her weapons. Too attuned to having to operate on a hair trigger, like she had fought her entire life against people that wouldn't hesitate a second to hurt her.

Tyrian knew the feeling and so he did his best to ignore the tears that were beginning to bead at his eyes from his laughter. He brought a pale hand up to wipe some of them away from his face, but they only continued to come and the giggles that shook him and controlled him refused to stop.

Watts reached out and grabbed at Tyrian's shoulder with a steely grip, the message that it communicated coming through to Tyrian clear as day because how could he mistake it? He clamped his mouth shut and let his head hang before continuing forward, cowed and submissive because he truly didn't want to start a fight, not with those that should have been his allies, no, Tyrian merely wanted to serve their Goddess.

He ended up being walked to the front, leaving the two girls behind with Hazel. It took nothing for Tyrian to listen in, his hearing attuned to the conversation that was now being held behind him.

"Some of us are protected." Hazel said, keeping his voice as low as he always did. There was a quiet clinking sound, the obvious sign that the man had his hands buried down in his pockets and he was fiddling with one of the Dust crystals that he liked to carry on him. "From the grimm."

"How is that possible?" Cinder asked, almost like she was lagging behind in everything that had happened to them. "I _fought_ one."

And there was a long moment where Hazel just sighed and the clinking in his pockets got a little more frequent as his frustrations over the conversation at hand began to build higher and higher. "As with most of the things that we do, it's complicated." Hazel finally began to explain further, his voice still kept low in volume. Tyrian blinked and stopped where he was standing, waving a hand out behind him to let the others know that it was for the best if they stopped moving for a moment.

Watts stopped first, then the others did shortly after. Tyrian took two steps forward, his arm still splayed out before he began to lower himself into place on a patch of clear ground. For the first time that day, he allowed himself to unwrap his tail from around himself and Tyrian closed his eyes as he pressed his bare hands down to the ground and let his mouth hang open, just a little bit as he tasted the air.

His eyes were rarely ever good, but Tyrian knew that he could trust in his other senses. If they were being watched, he was confident that he would be able to find that information out before it could come to light as a problem for them.

It took some concentration for him to be able to reach out in the way that he needed to. It started as just him feeling for any sign that they may have company. Any tremor would have done the trick, and so Tyrian concentrated and tried to look for them.

Unable to find anything on the first attempt, Tyrian allowed himself to reach out further in his efforts. He summoned his aura up from within him and it felt like a wave of warmth, crashing over him in impossibly gentle pulses. It was almost enough to make Tyrian feel safe and warm, but with the circumstances that were already at hand that simply wasn't possible.

He had to force it out of him, his aura. Had to force it as far away from him as possible in a radius in search of any sign that they might have company or be overheard. Tyrian reached his limits and felt nothing, and so he allowed for his aura to snap back to him and stood up straight.

The man turned just slightly and locked his eyes with Hazel's before nodding. It was all of the reassurance that Hazel needed, and so the man moved forward with his explanation of what their being hunting or not hunted meant.

"Some of us," Hazel muttered, his hands still buried down deep in their pockets and his head hung low. "Have been given certain gifts by our... _employer._ Those of us that have been given those things, are supposed to be ignored by the grimm should we come into a position where we are surrounded by them."

"But many of these things are unclear to us." Watts broke into the conversation. Tyrian didn't say anything, just decided to fall back in with the others so that he could walk alongside them. "So if something doesn't match with what we know, then it isn't going to make sense."

"So then me fighting one-"

"It means that our Goddess must have wanted you to fight one." Tyrian cackled as he fell into place, his tail twitching behind him. "If you have faced a beast."

There was a silence, and Tyrian watched Cinder's expression as it twisted into one that was much more unsure of herself. He was sure that she was now in a place where she could only question what she knew about things, and Tyrian-

Well, he only really knew as much as the others. And Emerald seemed even more confused than Cinder was by it all. Of course she would be though, Tyrian thought. The girl was new to their cause. She hadn't been chosen like the rest of them had been, she had ended up with the rest of them by chance. Because Cinder had chosen her for their cause.

The poor thing, not a clue as to what great destinies she was now playing into.

"None of this makes sense." Emerald mumbled, wrapping her arms around herself and hugging herself. It looked like she was gripping at her arms a little too tightly, and Tyrian smiled. Just turned and prepared for them to continue to walk.

"None of it does." Cinder muttered, her voice dark and frustrated in the same way. "And since some of us insist on keeping secrets-"

Her gaze travelled, levelling on Watts, and then on Hazel. Both of the men glanced at each other, pure hesitation showing clearly on both of their faces. Watts looked mostly displeased with the challenge and Hazel-

Hazel looked like he was about to slink off to somewhere quiet if he got the chance to. Like if he could have simply avoided the problem, he would have gone ahead and done so immediately.

It made Tyrian glad that he wasn't being placed under the same scrutiny as the others were, if only because he wasn't anywhere near as well initiated into their cause as some of the others were. He was too young to have the same experience as Hazel or Watts, and when the others had been serving their Goddess for years-

Well, he wasn't the best one to answer questions.

"We aren't keeping secrets." Hazel muttered, and his voice came out as being little more than an unadulterated growl. It almost made Tyrian feel like he needed to shrink back and out of sight. "Everything that you need to know, we have told you."

"Then why don't I believe you?" Cinder asked, taking a step in towards Hazel and meeting his eyes. "Why does it feel like-" She grit her teeth in frustration, and for a moment Tyrian could have sworn that he'd seen Cinder's eyes burn brighter and more violently as their hue turned to violent red.

Tyrian was stopped dead in his tracks because that was something that he had definitely seen before, but never in humanity. Never outside of dreams of visions of whatever it was that plagued him at night. He had only seen that look on-

It made him shake. It felt like his skin was beginning to vibrate, and Tyrian wanted to let himself have an outburst and make his excitement known. Perhaps the others hadn't noticed it, but if they had-

What was he supposed to do? Was he meant to stay back and bite his tongue and play along as though he hadn't seen something akin to the visage of their Goddess in person, right in front of them?

"Nobody is keeping secrets." Hazel grumbled, turning his back on the rest of them as he began to walk away from the rest of them. It was as obvious of a sign that they needed to leave as the man could give, and Tyrian knew that he needed to follow himself, but that didn't mean that he wanted to go. Not when his stomach was churning and he was so excited that he felt like he was going to explode.

On a normal day, Tyrian knew that what Hazel would have said would have been law. They would have just moved on. He let his tail drop behind him and then picked it back up so that he could wrap its length around his body. Tyrian glanced at the others over his shoulder and dropped his head before moving to follow after Hazel.

But there was a voice that interrupted it all.

Watts' voice.

"You know that lying won't get us anywhere, Hazel." Watts said, keeping his voice surprisingly even but as biting as was possible in the process. "And if you intend on continuing to withhold information from the rest of us-"

Tyrian blinked, because he didn't know that anyone was lying to anyone. He had been under the impression that they were simply following the orders that their Goddess had passed down for them. Anytime that she would come to him, Tyrian had always gone to the others to announce what he knew.

He allowed himself to stop, and the feeling of Watts' hand settling on his shoulder made Tyrian shrink back further. He was nearly expecting something- a shock, something to remind him that he was out of his place.  
But instead, Watts continued to speak, his electric green eyes still locked securely onto Hazel's back.

"You could do the class a great favor by explaining what you know, Hazel." Watts' expression sank into a grin, the corners of his mouth twisting up and his eyes narrowing dangerously. Tyrian finally took that as his cue to get away from the others because he needed the space so badly. He knew that look on Watts' face all too well. It was one that was only ever associated with _hurt_. "After all, we are in your old stomping grounds, aren't we?"

With those worlds, Tyrian felt his heart speed up too much because of how much that said on its own. The way that Hazel hesitated and stopped was... too much.

Tyrian wanted to ask some questions. Important questions, things that would hopefully be able to clear the air or at the very least make something make sense, but-

It wasn't his place. No, Tyrian knew his place. When his Goddess needed him he was always the one there to serve her. He had no place asking the others for help, or offering himself up to them. No, he obeyed their orders because they had been involved for so much longer. He slept in the corners and stayed out of the way, and he-

He-

He didn't know his place all of a sudden and he was afraid.

"Yes." Hazel muttered, his voice dark. "I used to live in Mistral. That isn't relevant to anything."

"Is it now?" Watts taunted, slinking away from Tyrian and taking a step in towards Hazel. "Because I have been getting the feeling that it's very relevant and that you haven't felt the need to inform any of us."

"There is nothing that you need to know." Hazel responded, taking a step towards Watts with his hands balled into fists at his sides. He looked furious, but Hazel was calm- he never would be the type to lash out in anger. He would keep his fury to himself, Tyrian knew that and he could trust in that.

He stole a glance at the girls though. Emerald had decided to shrink back behind Cinder to some degree, and Cinder looked aggravated, but also seemed to be keeping herself from becoming involved with the conflict that was beginning to bloom between their teammates.

Although, on second thought Tyrian couldn't help but thinking that this conflict was new was incorrect. Even before the girl had been in the picture the two men had been constantly at odds, but it had only gotten worse.

"I truly have to say otherwise." Watts said, still glaring Hazel down. "And your refusal towards having any transparency over matters isn't helping your cause."

Hazel groaned and dropped his head. It wasn't something that he was doing for the sake of submission though, Tyrian was sure of that. Instead, it was just pure frustration in physical form.

"We need to keep moving." Hazel finally said, levelling a glare on Watts and growling the words out. "I will explain things when I need to. But these are personal matters."

Watts just paused, staring Hazel down and sighing a moment later. "Don't expect for this to go away, Hazel." He muttered, and Tyrian just watched as the two men began back down on the road.

The two girls walked up, almost positioning themselves at his side before one of them spoke up.

"Is that... normal?" Emerald asked, standing up on her toes and craning her neck to get a better look at Hazel and Watts, who were walking on opposite sides of the trail and obviously doing their best to ignore each other.

Cinder looked like she wanted to answer, but she just looked to Tyrian instead.

He hanged his head and began on the walk forward. "No more normal than anything else." Tyrian replied. The girls were following after him within moments, the two of them looking to each other for help.

Tyrian wished for help, but couldn't stop his mind from jumping from thing to thing and topic to topic in the excitement and fear that had built up all in one go.

He just hoped that whatever happened in their near future would be productive rather than bringing them more problems.

He prayed for his Goddess, in the hopes that she would listen and reach out for him once more.


	36. Search Parties

Everyone that had decided that they were going to go out and look for Blake had agreed that they were going to all meet in the same place before they went out looking for her without much (if any) trouble.

It was dark, the cracked moon hanging high over Remnant and lighting the world with its soft otherworldly glow. The city of Vale was lit up with electricity, Dust, and flame alike, creating spots of light like stars which could always beckon them back home.

It was far from the place that she had been raised in herself. Weiss could close her eyes and imagine the moonlight on the snow, and couldn't help but think that she was standing out like a beacon in the darkness herself. White among black.

"You really think that we're going to find Blake?" Ruby asked one of the people that had already gathered by the city gate and were waiting for them. Weiss was mostly glad that she was going into this surrounded by her teammates.

"I'm sure that we will!" A familiar voice replied from the gate. As they got closer, Weiss recognized the group of four students that were already there and waiting for them.

Team JNPR. Weiss didn't know all that much about the other students personally, but she had at the very least met Pyrrha before. She'd seen the rest in passing, mostly during their classes.

"Thanks." Yang said, hanging back just slightly behind Ruby and Weiss both. "For wanting to do this."

"It's really no problem." Jaune said, stepping up so that he could stand just beside Pyrrha. "Even if we don't know her, this is the sort of thing that we all went to Beacon to do."

"Rescue missions?" Yang asked.

"No, silly." Nora said, bouncing into the conversation with her eyes lit up and bright. "Helping people!"

"Either way, we have to thank you." Weiss said, holding her head up high and allowing for herself to look out past the gates and into the forest. There were going to be things out there. Grimm, animals, who even _knew_ what else. It was entirely possible that them wanting to leave Vale to find Blake was going to end up being a huge mistake.

And that wasn't even considering the black shadow that the giant grimm cast over them.

"We are all glad to help." Ren said, smiling reassuringly over at them. "But if we are going to find your teammate, it would be for the best if we left soon."

There was a murmuring of consensus, and then they were all off on their way into the woods. The plan that they came up with on the way was a relatively simple one with a clear enough goal. The seven of them were going to be going out into the forest and trying to find Blake, with the intent of going back towards the area where Blake had wandered off in the first place as a starting point.

Weiss decided against allowing herself to bring up that if Blake had wanted to leave, it was entirely likely that she was all but completely _gone_ at that point. It was even theoretically possible that Blake had made her way back to Vale and had managed to avoid notice.

No matter what, they were going to have to work from a flawed position though, and Weiss didn't like that.

But they were going to find Blake- that much was clear. At the very least they were going to do their absolute best to hunt her down so that they would be able to bring her back to Beacon together. Safe and sound, a member of the team like she was.

For almost the entire walk out to the location, all of them were calling for Blake, even the people from Team JNPR. Weiss was glad for it, because that made it feel more... genuine that the others were there with them.

"So." One of the boys fell back from the main group so that he could walk alongside Weiss. She glanced over at him and sighed when she realized that it was Jaune.

"What is it?" Weiss asked, sighing.

"I realized that I haven't really introduced myself at all." The boy said, hanging his head for just a second before offering her his hand, even awkwardly. "I'm Jaune."

Weiss took her hand and gave it a firm shake before releasing it. "Weiss." She said her name and kept her eyes forward, scanning the area for even the slightest sign that Blake was near. "Is there something that you wanted?"

Jaune seemed to hesitate. "I wanted to know that you were doing okay." He said finally, keeping his voice down. "I mean, I know that your team is a bit newer and that you're new to Beacon and all of that." He stopped himself, like he had just realized that he was acting a little strangely. Or maybe he just realized that Weiss wasn't perhaps the kindest audience that he could have. "I just... this isn't really normal, you know?"

"I think I'm okay." Weiss sighed, thinking back to the missions that she had gone on with her teammates. Always they had gone out on reconnaissance and when things had really happened, there had been something else in play. Blake had decided to run because of a conversation that they'd had while retracing their steps from...

Weiss stopped, eyes widening as she realized that aside from Qrow, it was all but certain that they were not the only ones searching for Blake. They had lead General Ironwood and Winter into the forest with them before Blake had run.

If they ended up being found by anyone else, it was entirely likely that they would end up in trouble for it. Weiss didn't exactly think that getting into trouble was a good idea for any of them at the moment. Personally, she didn't want to risk being run out of Beacon for going after Blake.

She decided against voicing it. "I just want to find my teammate," Weiss finally said, keeping her eyes glued to the area ahead of her. "Especially when-"

They both went silent, and Weiss knew that Jaune knew what she was trying to talk about.

Mostly, the giant grimm that was walking the forests in a silent patrol of its own.

Weiss was afraid of it, of what could happen should they accidentally stray too close to the beast.

She had to put in a rather significant amount of effort to make sure that she wouldn't end up becoming a problem for them in any way. Weiss swallowed and tore her gaze away from the monster. "I want to find my teammate. That's all."

Jaune shrugged, beginning to slow to a stop as they approached the area where Blake had last been with them. He was taking every step slowly, and when Weiss looked forward and towards the thing that she and her teammates had been supposed to keep as a secret, his eyes widened.

In fact, most of JNPR seemed like they didn't know what to make of it. All four of them looked at each other, worry showing on each and everyone one of their expressions. Weiss hesitated for a moment and allowed herself to just take a few steps and draw closer to the rest of her own team.

A moment later, it was Nora that broke the quiet. She took two nervous steps towards the black pool, reaching out for it but drawing back just as quickly. "What... is it?"

Ruby, Weiss, and Yang all gave each other a look before Weiss sighed and decided to begin to explain. "It... makes grimm. At least that's what we've been told."

Pyrrha stepped up beside her teammate, both her and Nora staring down into the black and clearly in search of something. She didn't move to try and reach out or touch it. Really, it seemed like she was doing her best to observe before acting. Her bright green eyes went from the pool to the grimm that towered over the forest.

"So what you are trying to say is that... thing came from this." Pyrrha stated, thought it was clearly much more of a question than it was anything else. "That seems-"

Yang shrugged and took a few steps forward, falling into line with the two other girls by the pool before allowing herself to speak up. "The way that Qrow has talked about it is more like... small grimm will come from this one, but one like that would be from something..." She shook her head. "Something else. He didn't say what, though."

"We need to find Blake." Ruby added, almost pleading as she took a few more steps forward. "Before she ends up running into something that she can't handle herself. Like..."

There was a long silence, and the group of them all but turned to face each other, standing in a circle. All of them exchanged looks, all waiting for someone to take the chance to take the lead. Finally, Ruby and Jaune were the ones to speak up, almost at the exact same time.

Jaune barely got a syllable out before he gestured to Ruby, allowing her the chance to speak first. Ruby took a few steps forward, and every eye was glued to her, Weiss' included.

"There are... a lot of us." Ruby explained, looking from person to person as she stood there in the middle. "So maybe the best way that we could look for Blake would be if we... I dunno, split up?"

Unsurprisingly, there seemed to be a good amount of hesitation over that suggestion. Jaune nodded before letting out a breath, all but waving his hands in front of him as he started. "Ruby is right." He began, smiling and standing up tall. "There are a lot of us, so the best way to do this is split up for sure. We'll be able to cover more ground that way. And it isn't like we don't have scrolls."

"Then how do we split up?" Pyrrha asked, sounding somewhat confident in the plan, but also like she needed to hear that they would have more planned just in case. "Because while there are a lot of us, it's a big forest. And if we end up running into trouble, we need to be sure that all of us will be able to take care of ourselves."

Ruby hesitated, glancing back over her shoulder to cast a look at Weiss and Yang before sighing. "I think that we should go by teams." She said finally, stepping back and standing close to her older sister. "Blake is our teammate, and if we find her, we should probably try to be together for it."

Jaune nodded and turned towards his own teammates. "I think that I can work with that plan." He said, rather calmly and smiling. "If anyone finds something, we should message the other group though-"

"I can watch the scroll." Weiss offered, because she had a feeling that if they were going to find trouble, she would be the least useful member of her team anyhow. "I don't expect anything, but someone should be in charge of it."

"And I can do the same." Jaune offered, smiling and shrugging. "Should we meet back here?"

"Yeah, definitely." Ruby said, her eyes bright and her bouncing with a certain sort of nervous energy that wasn't going to go away all that easily. "So... is that it?"

"Yeah." Jaune sighed. "I guess so." He began to take a few steps away, JNPR turning so that they could walk alongside him and stopping once Ruby decided to pipe up again.

"And uh... Thank you." Ruby said, watching as JNPR turned to face her again. "For all of this."

Pyrrha just beamed back at them. "We're all happy to help. Don't worry, we are going to find your teammate."

Weiss smiled and lowered her head before turning and walking with her teammates off in their search for Blake.

* * *

Oniyuri was a crumpled half-city in the middle of absolute nowhere. It had been destroyed years and years before, grimm having rampaged their way through after something had happened, and the details on what it had been were far from even beginning to be clear.

There were stories about Oniyuri, that there could have been something wrong with it. That it could have been haunted, or that the place was somehow cursed as though that were a thing that was possible.

A year before, Cinder wouldn't have believed so much as a word about it. Curses were impossible, magic wasn't real. Grimm weren't there anymore.

But then they were there, standing there in the middle of the broken down city, and Cinder didn't know what to make of it.

There was a certain sort of beauty to the destruction, something which was hard to quantify that Cinder couldn't quite find a name for or put her finger on.

But they stood there, just outside of the gates with not any one of them wanting to take the plunge and go in for themselves. Cinder glanced down the row of them to see that something was different between the five of them.

Watts seemed bored but mostly confident in the fact that they were there. Tyrian seemed nervous, for reasons that Cinder couldn't name. Emerald was all but afraid, but she was at the very least looking healthier.

And Hazel...

Cinder stood behind Hazel at the back of the group. He was standing as stone-faced as ever, but Cinder couldn't help the thought that there was something else on his mind. Something that he didn't want to say, and it just dragged her back to the conversation that their group had ended up having not too long before.

Watts was confident that Hazel was hiding something from them. Cinder was feeling about the same way now.

"Should we go in?" Emerald asked, looking over her shoulder at the others. "Or-"

"No." Watts muttered, smirking. "I think that you should go in though, girl. Seeing as you are the most dis-"

" _Enough_." Hazel cut Watts off, finally deciding to break from the way that he was holding himself and making his way to the front so that he could lead his way in. "We should go in, but we should go in together."

A chill ran down Cinder's spine, unforgiving and so terrible that it rocked her down to her very core.

"In what manner?" Tyrian asked, letting himself lower down into a crouch where he stood. He placed his hands on the ground, clearly feeling for something in the same way that he had done before. "This place-"

"As a group, I would assume?" Watts asked, looking over at Hazel with a wholly unimpressed look. "As though that would make any real difference." He grumbled bitterly.

"We're in an abandoned city." Hazel growled back, shooting a glare over at Watts before relaxing and staring up at the gates once more. "And anything could be in there. Grimm, hunters, or even bandits."

"Or the girl." Cinder said, staring down at the cobblestone pavement and feeling too much. That chill was still there, covering her and making it impossible for her to get away from it. Cinder tried her best to summon up her aura and bring some comfort to herself, but none came.

"Or the girl." Hazel repeated the words, but they came out far too quiet for Cinder's liking. Like Hazel was expecting for them to have found something and unable to think of any other way to state it.

"So then-"

"Tyrian." Hazel said, keeping his voice down. "You will go in first with me and Emerald. Cinder and Watts should stay back and offer ranged support, coming in only after we have gotten in a safe distance."

Tyrian's expression stretched into a smile as it always did. The man let out a sound that Cinder could only think of as a squeal of delight before standing up and clapping his hands together. He stood hunched over, but grinning all the same.

Hazel set his jaw and looked to Emerald, who looked ready to shrink back. Emerald stared at Hazel before looking back at Cinder for some sort of reassurance.

Cinder sighed, unable to think of anything to say. She just prepared herself to fire on whatever might be there to fight them.

She had a feeling that it could be nothing, if not the girl. However, she couldn't pretend as though a dose of paranoia couldn't be a little healthy in their situations.

Oniyuri was nothing if not incredibly creepy.

"I don't care for this plan, Hazel." Watts stated, sounding as bored as ever. "But if you insist."

Cinder watched as Hazel rolled his eyes and waved an arm, signaling that it was time for them to go in. There was an annoyed sound that escaped Arthur, but the man fell back into place beside her all the same and watched as Tyrian started on the way into the city first, with Emerald and Hazel not following soon after.

"Do we have any reason to be afraid?" Cinder asked the man at her side, already removing her bow from her back and preparing for a fight even though she didn't know that it was something that was actually necessary for her to prepare for.

"In all likelihood we don't," Arthur muttered, like the scan of the ruins was a complete waste of their time. He didn't make any motion to draw a weapon or otherwise, just stood there and watched as the others walked further into the ruined city. "But if Hazel's paranoia is getting the better of him, then there is little use in fighting him."

Cinder nodded, watching as Tyrian finally reached what looked to be a town square. He climbed up on top of some of the rubble there, likely trying to sense for something that just wasn't there. Unlike him, Hazel was working his way into a half-ruined building, pressing it open with a single blow from his hand. It opened with a bang, and that was all that was needed to make all of them stop dead in their tracks.

They waited there for a little too long, until Hazel finally raised a hand and waved the rest of them in, apparently satisfied that there wasn't anyone there in the city.

Watts rolled his eyes and began on his way in, shooting Cinder a look that she understood very clearly as a reprimand for staying still for even a second too long. She followed him in until all five of them were standing in the center of a ruined city.

"As expected," Watts started, his tone barely even a half step away from being an unashamed sneer. "There was nothing here."

Cinder shivered and turned her head, not entirely sure. There was something about this place that was giving her a bad feeling, and she couldn't quite figure out what it was that was making her feel that way specifically. Mostly, she knew that she didn't like it. At all.

"Some of the buildings look intact." Emerald offered, looking at the others in the group and trying her best to offer her input. Cinder felt a slight stab of guilt over that because she was pretty sure that Cinder's words weren't going to even begin to be considered at all. "Maybe we should use it as a camp."

"Risky." Hazel grumbled, and Watts just rolled his eyes.

"The girl is the only one talking any sense." He muttered, taking a step back from the group and allowing himself to scan their surroundings. Seeing nothing but destroyed buildings, Watts just shook his head. "And I have to agree. A night where we aren't setting up tents would be welcome."

Cinder wanted to say something, wanted to speak up and put her own thoughts out in the open for the rest of them but stopped as another chill covered her. She wrapped her arms around herself, but it wasn't going to be anything near enough to calm the bone-deep cold. The soul-deep cold that was going to keep her from being able to do much of anything.

Tyrian nodded, allowing himself the chance to seat himself and rest, his long tail unraveling out from behind him as he relaxed. "The city seems safe." He mumbled, looking down at his own hands. "And if our fates have lead us here, then staying must be the only thing we can do-"

Cinder swallowed and felt something in her change as she finally found her nerves.

"I don't like it here." She said, keeping her voice down and looking among the others. "It's... like something is wrong."

Watts rolled his eyes and shouldered his bag of supplies. "And to think that I thought you were above such nonsense, girl." He muttered as he began on his way into a building that seemed to have a mostly intact roof. "Truly, it's a pity."

Cinder grit her teeth and rolled her eye in some frustration. She wanted to snap back at Watts, but instead felt Hazel's hand settling on her shoulder, gentle but the message that came with it was more than clear enough.

It wasn't worth it to go trying to start fights with Watts of all people.

"I don't like it either." Hazel grumbled as the two of them watched the others go in. "We need to do patrol though."

"Why do you want me to do patrol?" Cinder asked, looking up at the much taller man who just stared straight ahead with his expression stony.

Hazel just glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, expression communicating everything that it needed to. A silent _I want to speak to you alone._

Cinder just nodded and looked back over her shoulder to see that the others had all gone inside properly and sighed before grabbing her weapon and preparing to do the perimeter with Hazel.

He took the lead, as was somewhat expected. It was something that Cinder couldn't exactly pretend to be all that unhappy about. At the very least she would be with someone that could handle himself in a fight without even breaking a sweat.

Once the two of them were well out of earshot, Hazel finally allowed himself to begin speaking.

"How are you feeling?"

Cinder blinked, because she had been expecting that she'd been pulled away so that the two of them could share secrets or something. The possibility that Hazel just wanted to get her away so that they could talk about something _normal_ had just never occurred to her.

"I'm fine." She answered, looking down and focusing in on the path. It was one that had likely been well-established before, but had been overgrown in past years. If she had to guess, it had been cut for whoever had been living in Oniyuri.

But now that it was just the two of them, and Oniyuri was gone, it had no purpose to be there.

"And your injuries?" Hazel asked, pausing as the two of them reached a small crack in the wall. Cinder watched the man take a step forward to touch the crack.

"They haven't... hurt." Cinder said, surprising herself a little bit with the statement. Considering the severity of them, a little bit of pain was to be expected, and they _did_ hurt sometimes, but...

But they hadn't in some time. Not since the cave.

Hazel was looking at her, disbelief written across his expressions. Cinder just decided to explain herself more because there was something that she could talk about, but it wasn't about pain.

"I just feel... cold." Cinder said, falling into step behind Hazel as the two of them got moving again. "Ever since we've arrived here."

"That's... odd."

"It is." Cinder sighed, looking up at the outlines of the buildings that were looming over them on the other side of the wall. "I've never felt anything like that." She paused and watched Hazel. He was clearly listening closely, if the way that he was remaining as stiff as possible as they walked was any indication. "It doesn't feel real."

"Are you sure that you aren't ill?"

"I am." Cinder mumbled, feeling the creeping cold getting worse once again. "It's... like I am freezing from the inside out. Not like you would get from illness. Not like hypothermia."

Hazel stopped by a tree and gestured towards Cinder, ducking back behind a tree so that the two of them were out of view. A moment later he spoke up, his voice lower and more like a growl than Cinder had ever heard out of him.

"Has Salem come to you?"

And there it was, the suggestion that Cinder hadn't been wanting to hear, even though she knew that it was one that she had to expect, at least on some level. She looked up at Hazel, and for the first time that day she recognized that he looked... old.

Not old, exactly. Older. Tired, mostly. Like he had been at work for years and had never gotten a chance to lie down and rest. In a way, it almost felt like she was seeing Hazel as he was for the first time. No fronts, no attempts to hide his exhaustion.

This was Hazel Rainart, and Cinder could only see that he was so tired that he was probably about to drop.

"No." Cinder finally said, a moment later. She tore her eye away from Hazel and chose to stare past him, needing the separation from him for the time being. "She hasn't." She hesitated. "Does this sound like something that she would do?"

"She works in her own ways." Hazel grumbled. "I can't say for sure, Cinder. Just stay aware, and if something happens-"

There was a rustling sound, and Hazel stopped dead in his tracks, He turned his head, doing his best to track the noise, and Cinder reached for her bow and prepared to fight. She didn't know that there was anything, but-

But if Hazel was checking for a fight, then she should have been preparing to fight as well.

"Hazel?"

"We're moving on." He grumbled. "Oniyuri is well defended enough that we will be safe overnight. But we still need to be prepared for anything that could happen."

"Right." Cinder mumbled. "Of course."

Hazel looked down at her, and a moment later she saw him sigh, his eyes slipping shut in something akin to peace before just a moment. "It appears to be secure." He mumbled. "Is there anything that you feel that you need to say?"

Hesitation nagged at Cinder for a moment as she came to the realization that she didn't really know whether or not there was something particular that she wanted to talk about. However, the fact that she was being offered the chance was nice enough on its own. A sign of goodwill that she didn't want to have to let pass or forget about.

The chill rushed over her body once more, and Cinder just shook her head. She'd already said what she'd needed to say about it. Now they just had to wait by the city and hope that something would happen. And then if something happened, they had to hope that it would either be okay for them, or that it would at the very least be something useful.

"No." Cinder murmured, and Hazel nodded in understanding before turning and beginning on the walk back into the city. Cinder followed close after him. The two of them walked through it together, finding the space where the others had decided to camp and joining the rest of them.

Rest was welcome, but for Cinder, it didn't come easily.

She went to bed feeling as though she were freezing, even though she was lying impossibly close to the fire that had been set to warm them through the night.


	37. Unity

Blake was _cold_.

It wasn't as though she wasn't used to it to a degree. She'd lived in the rough of the woods before, but before there had always been something different. She'd never been so exposed to the elements. There had always been something to provide shelter. A camp, or a tent, or something similar.

There in the forest alone, there were no fires. There were no tents, or camps, or people to say goodnight to. There were only the dark arcs of branches over her head which brushed the world with shadow. Only the quiet of the night. Only her and nature itself.

It reminded her strongly of the day that she'd made the decision to run from her old arrangements. From Adam, from the Fang, from people that she'd considered her friends. Her allies. Her _comrades._

She didn't know whether or not the White Fang were still in the forest, or whether or not they had decided to move on and given up on Vale. She just knew that she needed to keep herself to the high ground, keep herself safe, and figure out where she was supposed to go.

Always there, nagging at the back of her mind was the all too real possibility that she'd managed to burn the most important bond that she'd made in years. While she could have absolutely gone back to Beacon if she wanted to, that didn't mean that she knew that it was the _right_ choice for her to make. Mostly, she wished that she had a way to make sense of things.

Even then, with all of her recent history in mind, Blake couldn't concentrate on any of it.

All that she could think of was the too-familiar woman in the forest that had found her, and the instructions that she'd been given.

Blake had a feeling that she needed to talk to someone- anyone about what she had seen and yet she didn't know that she would be able to do so for herself.

At a loss for solutions, Blake made herself comfortable in the treetops above a clearing and closed her eyes. She wrapped her arms around herself and wished that she had something to keep her warm. Perhaps she would get a jacket someday, something that would do more for her than the clothes that she was currently wearing. Her father would have liked that.

Blake forced herself to stop thinking about it, should the feeling become too pervasive.

For a few minutes she sat there in the treetops, allowing herself to just listen to her surroundings. Blake was on high alert for a few things- people, grimm, and animals. If any of the three showed themselves, then she would run, whether she liked it or not. For the moment, her own safety was the main priority.

In the distance she heard _something,_ but Blake tried not to focus on it unless it became more clear. She rested her head against the trunk of the tree that she had made into her perch and took a deep breath.

The sound was there again, and Blake recognized then that it was someone, calling her name. Her ears twitched, and Blake picked her head up, letting her eyes pop open as she scanned her surroundings to figure out who. The clearing was the same as it had been when she'd let herself close her eyes.

There was quiet for a moment, then the sound of a few people mumbling to each other, and then her name was being called again.

This time, she recognized the source. Ruby's voice, followed closely by Yang's. She could also make out the sound of Weiss there with the others, although the sound was a too quiet to make anything else out clearly.

Blake took a deep breath and shifted in the trees, sitting up and doing her best to get a better view of her surroundings in search of her teammates. She still didn't know whether or not she was going to go to them or not.

From where she was sitting, Blake saw the white glow of Weiss' hair, far from her and she realized that she might not have much time before her teammates knew that she was there at all.

It would be so easy. She could just stay back in the trees, and distract them. Run them the wrong way using a clone like she had in the past, and then she could just-

Move on. Nothing was going to be able to make up for the fact that Blake wasn't exactly going into this with anything even akin to a plan.

At the end of the day though, Blake was certain that if she took that possibility and she ran, she would regret it. She liked her team, and she liked being able to be friends with them. She'd liked training with them and rooming and eating with them.

More than anything else, Blake was afraid.

She watched as the other girls drew closer and closer, and Blake prepared herself to leap down out of the trees, leave a clone behind, and then go back into hiding.

But that was when the others drifted into the clearing below where she was perching, and Blake stopped herself.

Ruby was turning, scanning the trees but seemingly unable to find anything. Yang was there, with her arms crossed over her chest and looking thoroughly displeased with the situation, and Weiss looked like she was exhausted or ready to drop.

"Can't see anything." Ruby sighed, turning back to their other teammates. "Do you think that the others might have found her?"

"If they did, then one of them would have called us." Weiss said, taking a few steps so that she was standing in the middle of the clearing. There was just a moment, and then Weiss was swinging her sword with practiced movements and Blake watched a small glyph appear under her feet.

It didn't seem to be doing anything other than lighting the space, but that was all that they would need.

Blake needed to make a decision.

"I know." Ruby sighed, pouting and stepping in towards the glyph. "I just wish that we knew that we were actually getting something done out here."

"We're going to find her." Weiss said, her voice sounding as tired as she looked. "I'm sure of it."

"Or she's running." Yang muttered, sounding like she was brimming with anger and without much else that she could say in that moment. "Or she's already gone. I want to find her too but-" Yang cut herself off. "I just don't know if we're going to find her out _here_."

"We're going to find her." Weiss repeated the words, her voice much harder and more annoyed than it had been earlier. In a way that came as almost defensive.

Blake took a breath as quietly as she could before finally allowing herself to move. She climbed down from the tree where she was sitting and stepped into the glow of the light of Weiss' glyph. The others were still all looking at each other, but Ruby was facing in her direction.

All at once, she watched as Ruby's expression lit up with excitement.

"Blake!" Ruby cried, pushing past Weiss and Yang and all but rushing at Blake. Blake's eyes widened and she prepared for the impact, leaping out of the way to ensure that she didn't have to take the hit.

She watched as her clone dissipated away immediately and Ruby was left looking very disappointed.

This time, Blake stepped back into the clearing again.

"Please." Blake said, sure to keep her voice down for all of their sakes. "Don't."

Ruby looked up at her, and she looked like she was about to cry. White hot guilt rushed through her. Red blood turning to molten gold and burning her from the inside out. "Are you... leaving us again?"

She couldn't.

"She better not be." Yang responded, stepping in with her eyes burning bright red. "Because-"

She just couldn't.

"I'm not going anywhere." Blake responded, and all at once she started to realize just how tired she was actually feeling. She needed to sleep, or eat something. She'd spent so long out in the woods that just about anything sounded like it would be welcome. "I know that its hard, but I just want to be able to forget about how things have gone today."

Ruby looked back at the others and sighed. She just stepped in closer to Blake. "You promise?"

"Yeah." Blake repeated, trying not to think about all of the things that could have been out in the forest with them. "I promise, Ruby. I'm not going anywhere."

"Then we should call the others." Weiss spoke up, stepping in a little closer to Blake herself now. "And meet back where we agreed."

Blake couldn't help the slow smile that stretched across her face when she realized that Weiss was looking to put herself in her face. It was comfortable, and Blake allowed herself to just hug herself and linger near her teammates. She felt the urge to let her ears flatten back against her head, but didn't allow for it. They still didn't know.

"You should make that call." She said, keeping her voice calm and looking to her teammates. "But I am surprised that you decided to bring others to help."

"Yeah," Ruby said, clamping onto Blake's arm and pulling her in close. "I mean, we knew that Qrow would be out here, and we think that Weiss' sister and the general are looking too. But we ended up coming out here with team JNPR because they wanted to help us find you again-"

Blake blinked, a little bit taken aback. She thought back to the encounter that she'd had out in the woods. The bandit woman. She was going to have to tell someone about it sometime, but she didn't know when she would have a chance. Ideally, she would get to talk to Qrow.

And he was out there, looking for her.

"Right." Blake murmured, feeling for her weapon like it was a security blanket. Moments later, the group was beginning to move again, and Blake fell into step between Ruby and Weiss as they talked.

Yang was hanging back a bit, and Blake couldn't help the stab of guilt that she felt over that alone. She decided not to talk about it.

Out of the corner of her eye, Blake watched as Weiss pulled out her scroll and the girl was clearly about to call someone when the scroll started to go off on its own, ringing too loud for where they were. It cut through the silence, harsh and too clear.

All four of them stopped dead in their tracks, and Blake all but turned away from her teammates in an attempt to get the best possible view of the area they were in.

Next thing she knew, Jaune's voice was blaring to them over Weiss' scroll.

"Weiss!" He cried, sounding panicked. "We've run into trouble! We think its a deathstalker or something, you guys need to get here and back us up."

Blake felt all of the color run out of her face all at once as she realized what had happened.

They were no longer the only ones at Beacon that knew about the threat of grimm in the forests.

"Where are you?" Weiss asked back, beginning to sound a little bit panicked herself. "We found Blake, just tell us where you are."

"We're by the cliffs!" Jaune responded, and on the other end of the line Blake could hear the sound of metal crashing against something. "Please, hurry."

"We're on our way." Weiss responded, hanging up the call and looking to the others. "C'mon, we have to go."

"I'll run ahead!" Ruby called, already breaking into a sprint, rose petals beginning to stream out from behind her as she ran. The rest of them did their best to follow pace and Blake just did what she could to listen and watch in ways that she knew that her teammates couldn't.

Once they were all moving, there was no room for talking.

The sprint felt like it lasted for minutes, and when she was already tired and feeling strung tight, Blake didn't know whether she would be able to keep up with the rest of them or not. When she managed to keep a fairly consistent pace with the rest of her team, it was a blessing of sorts.

The cliffs began to loom over them, and Blake could hear the sounds of battle getting closer and closer to them. Jaune was shouting something. There was a loud crackle of electricity, too-rapid gunfire, metal against a hardened carapace.

Through the trees, the team came into view, the entire space around them lit by the glow of a deathstalker's sting.

Blake hadn't seen anything like it anywhere other than a book, and it put her on more than just high alert knowing that it was going to be something for them to contend with.

As soon as they were in range, Ruby was transforming her weapon, and Blake watched as Weiss all but twirled into place, waving her sword with her and bolts of dust flew out towards the deathstalker.

"Weiss!" Yang called from behind her, and Blake heard a gunshot as her teammate launched herself into the air. Black glyphs appeared by her feet, and then Yang was flying into battle at a breakneck pace.

Blake looked to the battle going on already and thought, trying her best to find a way to enter herself.

In the end there was only one option. Blake transformed her weapon and threw it, jerking the ribbon while it was in midair to propel the chain scythe forward. It hit the grimm and seemed to latch into its carapace, so Blake pulled again and brought herself in with it, cleaver at her side.

Her weapon clanged against the grimm, doing next to nothing on the impact beyond scratching the beast's armor. That was frustrating enough, but Blake could handle it. She took the chance to dislodge herself before she realized that there was a stinger coming down at her. She forced her semblance to activate, thrusting herself out of the way and watching as her clone took the hit and disappeared.

She landed next to where Yang had just been launched backwards. Yang looked over at her, teeth grit. "What do you think we should-"

"We need to immobilize it!" Jaune shouted from the back, clearly hiding back behind his shield. Like he too was preparing for the worst. "Any ideas?"

"We could freeze it!" Ruby called, from the perch in a tree that she had taken.

"On it!" Weiss replied, and Blake saw the heiress rushing into the middle of the fray for herself. Blake blinked because she had a feeling that the grimm was going to need some sort of backup.

She looked at Yang. "We need to back her up."

"Got it." Yang replied, and then the two of them were falling into place at Weiss' flanks. When Blake broke towards the right, Yang went to the left, and Weiss went right down the middle.

Yang took things into her own hands, going for one of the deathstalker's pincers. She threw herself into it, punching it away with her eyes in burning red.

Blake decided to take a more artful method for taking it down, leaping over the pincer that tried to attack her and letting it get tangled in the ribbons attached to her weapon. She was going to have some trouble holding it still, but that was fine.

She ended up behind the beast, sliding forward slightly as it resisted.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune cried, and Blake saw her rocket out of the bushes, a blur of red and gold. She felt something change about the way that she was standing, and Blake realized that Pyrrha was placing herself by the side, her arms splayed wide.

And Blake found that she couldn't move her weapons. They were being held completely in place by a force entirely external to herself. Pyrrha.

She looked back to Weiss over her shoulder, and watched as the heiress cast a glyph on the stinger of the deathstalker, holding it in place just over her head. It wasn't going to last long, but it was long enough for Weiss to thrust her sword into the ground under her and for ice to race out from under it in spikes. It probably wouldn't hold the grimm, but-

"I've got it!" A high-pitched voice called, and Blake watched as Nora rushed into battle, launching herself into the air off of Jaune's shield. Jaune seemed to push as much of his power into the motion as possible. The sound of a rocket going off echoed through the trees as Nora hurled herself down towards the grimm, her hammer raised over her head.

It slammed down, forcing the deathstalker down into the spikes of ice below it. The creature let out a loud sound, almost a screech as it began to struggle more and more. Blake felt Pyrrha lose control, and she felt herself getting flung back towards the trees herself.

She did everything that she could to recover, but found herself getting flung into Ren, who seemed like he had been waiting for her to hit.

He helped her stand up straight and looked at her. "We should distract it with covering fire." He suggested, his voice impossibly even. He smiled and reached over for her though, placing a hand on her shoulder and Blake all but shivered when she felt almost like she'd gone cold.

But she was at peace.

Ren nodded and looked the the grimm. "It won't be able to see us. You take the left."

Blake smiled. "Thanks." And then the two of them were breaking off to the sides, both shooting at the grimm's eyes in the hopes that they could at the very least blind it before it got them hurt.

There was another gunfire, and Blake realized that it was Ruby from the trees, joining in with them.

Yang and Weiss were back by the tree where Ruby was, the three of them seemingly doing their best to make a plan, and Blake looked at the grimm, realizing all at once that she had an idea.

"Ruby, Jaune!" She shouted to her teammate, and was amazed when the grimm didn't even seem to notice. Whatever Ren had done, it was powerful. "The stinger!"

Ruby leapt down onto the ground by Weiss and Yang, and the conversation that the three of them shared was clearly very short. Weiss was setting up another black glyph, with Yang and Ruby placing themselves in position so that they could fling themselves into action. Yang's hair was on fire, and Ruby...

Ruby was holding Crescent Rose back like she was preparing to make a final stand.

On the other hand, Blake saw the rest of JNPR falling into place together, Ren not giving up on his fire for so much as a second.

Jaune was sheathing his sword in his shield, and Blake saw it shift into a larger weapon for Jaune to wield.

He gripped the weapon tight, dropping into position like he was about to break into a sprint while Pyrrha and Nora did the same at his sides. The three of them seemed to be waiting for some sort of queue.

Jaune looked over at Ruby. "Just say when!"

"Right!" Ruby said, grinning widely as she prepared to go. "Ready Weiss?"

"Yes." Weiss replied, her eyes narrowed dangerously in concentration as she focused in on their enemy even more.

"Good!" Ruby shouted, and then she shouted. "On three!" And then just like that, Ruby was shouting out a countdown, and once she finished, Jaune and Pyrrha both sprinted into the battlefield, Pyrrha throwing her shield like a discus to throw the Deathstalker off balance and Jaune rushing in to slash at its legs.

Blake and Ren exchanged a look and then they moved off to the sides, and all at once Blake felt the calm that had washed over her fade away entirely. That was the moment that she realized that the grimm could see them again, and while that was enough to throw her off, Blake powered on forward.

She threw her chain scythe at the monster's claw, distracting it away while Ren released a spray of gunfire on the other side, just trying to make sure that the two of them were going to be able to maintain a clean path for what was coming next.

"Now!" Ruby shouted from the back, and Weiss took the order. She released the glyph that she had created on Ruby and Yang, and then the two of them were being thrown into battle, Yang taking the chance to hurl Ruby faster at the grimm when the two of them were mid-air.

Blake watched as Ruby flew through the air, changing her scythe in mid-flight and catching the deathstalker by the stinger, firing shot after shot as she sliced it off. Ruby's semblance activated, her flicking out of danger with a trail of petals, and then there was one final shout.

"Nora, now!" Jaune yelled, and Blake saw Pyrrha drop into position to give Nora something to launch off of. Nora landed on top of Pyrrha's shield and launched herself off of it with a fire of the grenade launcher in her hammer before the weapon down onto the stringer which had lodged in the deathstalker's back.

It was a mighty blow, and Blake could have sworn that she had felt the ground shake.

There was a moment, and then all eight of them watched together as the grimm drifted away in a pillar of smoke. Blake allowed herself to relax, but only slightly, while the rest of the teams began to group back up together, all looking to make sure that everyone was going to be alright.

Blake approached Weiss first, because Weiss looked like she was about to drop and that was a feeling that Blake could relate to fairly well herself. "Are you okay?" She asked, falling into place beside Weiss, who was leaned forward and bracing herself against her weapon. Like she was going to collapse any second.

"I am." Weiss said,allowing herself to stand up a little bit more. "Just... tired."

Blake nodded, and then Ruby and Yang were jogging over to them. Yang seemed like she had calmed down quite a bit, and Ruby seemed like she was a little bit wired at the moment. Like she wasn't able to calm herself down just yet, even though the immediate threat was gone for the time being.

"So." Yang said, her expression twisting a little bit and an obvious look of worry flickering across her expressions. "That was... different."

Blake hesitated, because it was quite different from what they'd fought before. The first time they had fought a grimm it hadn't been nearly as big as the deathstalker had been, and it had been taken down quite a big easier on the whole.

The deathstalker had taken them a whole set of eight people, and that just left Blake wondering what they would have to do should the giant in the forest take notice. Would it even be possible for a group of eight to take it on without casualties?

"It was." Blake sighed, glancing over at Team JNPR. It looked like they had decided to group together for the time being so that they could talk things over themselves. All of them seemed distinctly worried, and Blake was hit by the overwhelming realization that they had only ended up fighting the monster because of her.

They had all come out there looking for _her._

She tried not to let her worry show and sighed. "We should try getting back to Beacon before..." She looked back to the spot where the grimm had been defeated.

"Right." Ruby said, sighing and sounding tired herself. "Let's just. We'll do that."

It ended up being all that anyone had needed to say.

Together, they walked together in a group, chattering nervously and excitedly the entire time. Not a single one of them was silent.

All that Blake could concentrate on was what was going to come when they finally got back to Beacon.


	38. Putting It Together

**I fell behind a little bit so I decided to add both chapters 38 and 39 at once. Make sure you don't miss one!**

* * *

Of all the things in the universe that James really couldn't stand- Jacques Schnee, grimm, hospital visits, people that abandoned their teammates, and hangovers being just some of those things, spending entire mornings stuck in meetings ranked pretty high on his list of things he didn't want to do. Ever. Despite his office and his position, it was something he'd never quite managed to shake.

So needless to say that having spent all morning wrapped up in a meeting, James was a little annoyed. The circumstances didn't help much, since they left him feeling like a fish out of water. Ozpin had called himself, Qrow, Glynda, and some other faculty members into their office so that they could talk. He had elected to bring Winter along, since she was the closest thing that he had to an aide-de-camp in Vale.

In the aftermath of the meeting, James was left sorting through the relevant information to try and make sense of things. The night before had been strange, after all.

Fact: All eight members of Teams RWBY and JNPR had arrived at Beacon Academy early in the morning. Nobody knew exactly when they had left the night before.

Fact: Blake Belladonna had been retrieved out of the forest unharmed.

Fact: The group of eight students had come into combat against a giant Deathstalker and had apparently beaten it down.

Fact: When placed in context of the spawning pool that had been located in the forest, the grimm was too large to have reasonably come from it. It was entirely possible that there was another out in the forest, but at that moment the resources and opportunities needed to investigate the matter hadn't yet arisen.

It was a lot to think about, and for that reason James was bent over the map in his office. Seated nearby by was Winter, though she was more observing for the moment while James thought. He didn't mind having her there. Really, she was one of his most prized students and always had been. Now that Winter was a Specialist, being able to work closely with her was a treat.

Even if she _did_ remind him of a lot of opportunities that had passed him by.

"Sir." Winter said, standing in the space just beside James. "Is there anyone monitoring the cameras that we set up yesterday?"

James nodded and and tapped on his desk. Just like that, a couple of camera feeds of the area where they'd found the pool appeared. James took a half-step back and sighed because nothing was there that was new.

"If any of the cameras detect movement, we'll be immediately notified of it. I also have someone in Atlas viewing them remotely." James said calmly as he stepped back from the projections. "I am hoping that we will be able to go out on a patrol later on in search of another one."

Winter nodded, but she looked entirely too nervous. "What do you want me to do, sir?"

James hesitated. She was looking for an order, that was obvious enough. The problem was that as things were, James hadn't yet come up with the best possible choice of action. When it came to Vale, there was only so much that he could do independently.

He stood up tall and sighed. "I am planning to call in a few more Specialists to do what they can to aid in our efforts here." That was something that James could do easily enough as things were- Ozpin was likely to allow for his actions to slide for a little while when they were on higher alert. He was willing to bet that Vale was going to have amped up security for some time as well.

Winter nodded. "Do you think that..." She hesitated, her eyes flickering away from him a moment. There was something in the way that she was holding herself that was making it hard for James to figure out what she was thinking. "Has there been any word from Atlas?"

"No." James mumbled. "The reports that I've been receiving have suggested that there isn't anything near Atlas as of right now. The same goes for Mantle, and so if there is anything, we can only guess that the cold has stunted the arrival of any grimm."

WInter nodded along, but she looked upset. James couldn't be too surprised by it. He let out a quiet sigh and turned to face her. "If something happens, we're going to rush back to Atlas and take care of things there." James held his head high. "That's where our loyalties ultimately lie."

"I just can't help but… worry, sir."

"You know that you don't have to call me that right now."

"Officially speaking, I am on duty." Winter replied looking back at the screens, her blue eyes scanning for something that James couldn't quite name on his own. "Even if we were to go back to Atlas, I would still worry. My sister is here. She fought a Deathstalker last night, and I feel like I'm expected to just ignore that it ever happened."

"Nobody is asking you to do that." James responded, though he understood. Winter had been cut off from her family, and while she did try to maintain whatever contact she had left, Weiss was about all there was left for her.

James tried not think about that one too much, for both of their sakes.

"I know that Weiss is capable." Winter said, holding her head up high. "The report that we heard about last night was proof enough of that. I just can't help but worry."

James nodded and sighed, looking to Winter and locking his eyes with hers. She blinked, and her stance and expressions began to soften significantly. "Sir?"

"Go see her." James said, hoping that Winter wouldn't take it too much like an order. That was about the last thing that he wanted for Winter to do. "If you're needed, I'll call you."

Winter nodded, going to the door and lingering by it for just a moment, clearly thinking it over. She stood there, with her hand on the doorframe and James watched her look back at him once more. Looking for guidance, most likely.

James nodded to her, and Winter smiled softly.

"If I may, sir-" She began, locking her eyes with his own. "If Weiss wants to train with me later, would you feel open to attending?"

"I would be glad to attend if I am wanted there." James smiled at her. It was true, after all. He'd always liked teaching more than he'd liked leading.

Winter smiled and slipped out the door, closing it behind her.

James felt an uncomfortable tug of something in his chest that he didn't let himself acknowledge for a moment too long.

He forced the feeling away and turned back to his work, studying the maps and cameras intently and trying to figure out what the best possible path to search might look like.

* * *

"Dad!" Yang called as she and Ruby walked into their family's home. Zwei was already there bothering them, excitedly bouncing around both of their ankles. Ruby dropped almost immediately to scratch him behind the ears. "We're home!" Yang shouted, closing the door behind the two of them and taking the moment to kick her shoes off.

"In the office!" Their dad called back, and Yang smiled before heading off in that direction.

When she came in, their father was sitting at his desk, halfway reclined with one of his ankles up on the desk, while the other foot rested on the ground securely. He looked relaxed, and considering the night that she and Ruby had had, it was nice being somewhere that felt _calm_.

Yang was pretty sure that Taiyang's calmness meant that he didn't know yet.

"Hey." Yang said, stepping inside. "How's it going?"

"Ah, you know-" Tai responded, bringing his foot back down to the ground and sitting up properly now. "Trying to do my job. Not doing my job." He smiled up at her and then looked to the door, clearly expecting that Ruby was going to come in any second. "Been trying to grade papers all day, and I've gotten nothing done."

"Right." Yang said, dropping onto the small loveseat along the wall. "Have you heard from Uncle Qrow at all?"

"Would it surprise you if I said no?" Taiyang asked, raising an eyebrow and staring at Yang like he was looking for something from her. "Because I haven't heard from him."

Yang grinned, because that meant that she and Ruby were going to have a chance to tell him what had happened the night before without Qrow doing it first. It wouldn't have been the first time that they hadn't been able to spread the news of the things they'd done before.

Hopefully he wouldn't freak out.

Ruby bounced into the room, carrying Zwei in her arms and smiling wide. She set the dog down before approaching their dad. "Hey, dad."

"Hey, Ruby." Taiyang said, smiling wide as ever. "How's school been for you two?"

"Oh, you know-" Ruby said, looking over at Yang like she was trying to see whether or not there was something that Yang wanted to say. "We've had classes."

Taiyang raised an eyebrow. "Why do I get the feeling that there's more than you're telling me?"

"Because there is." Yang said cooly. "We had the craziest night."

"Boys?"

"What?" Ruby asked, her eyes bulging out for a second. "No! Gross."

"Girls?" Taiyang asked again, clearly treading carefully.

"Nah," Yang said, rolling her eyes. "Way cooler."

Her father's expression shifted as he tried to figure out what he wanted to say. Yang just smiled and watched, waiting for him to ask again before she or Ruby took the chance to just tell him what the two of them had gotten up to.

"You know that whatever it is-"

"It isn't about us dating or something, dad." Ruby interjected, smiling. "It really is way cooler."

He shrugged. "Well, then I guess that I just don't know." Taiyang said, making himself more comfortable. Yang and Ruby both looked at each other, both waiting for one of them to say what their night had been like.

For a moment, Yang couldn't help but wonder whether or not telling their dad about it was a good idea or not. It wasn't as though the two of them had been given any sort of confirmation that they could talk about the grimm that they'd fought. If anything, every indication had been that the exact last thing that they needed to do was talk about what they had been doing.

But their father was a huntsman. And he was their father. It was probably for the best that he knew.

"Okay," Yang said, already making decisions to trim down the story of the night before for their own sake. Their father probably didn't need to know the parts about Blake, or that they had snuck out themselves on an impromptu rescue mission. "So we got to do something really cool on a mission and we probably shouldn't even tell you about it." She leaned back into the couch, allowing for her legs to stretch out in front of her.

"And is that why you decided to start by asking if I'd talk to your uncle?"

"Uh..." Ruby spoke up, picking up a hand and rubbing at the back of her head awkwardly. "Yeah, that's why."

Their dad was looking at them both and looking wholly unsure of what was about to happen. He raised an eyebrow and focused his gaze on Yang, and there was an unspoken question there. For a moment Yang almost wanted to answer to it- she knew her dad. He was reminding her that she was technically the one in charge of looking after her sister.

It wasn't something that Yang had ever resented him for. If anything, she understood why he worried.

"So," Taiyang said with a sigh. "What happened?"

"We got to fight a Deathstalker." Yang said, letting the words out as calmly and as coolly as she could. She glanced over at Ruby out of the corner of her eye, and just saw her little sister smiling wide. When she looked at their father though, there was something else written across his face.

He looked, at least a little bit, horrified. Mostly horrified. And a little like he was about to pass out. The same way that he had looked when Qrow had dragged Yang and Ruby back home when they'd been kids and had decided to sneak out. The same way that he had when Summer-

His mouth was open, and he let out a quiet noise before leaning back in his seat, his feet dropping back down to the ground.

Wordlessly and probably a little bit afraid, he looked from Ruby to Yang before nodding. "You two fought a _Deathstalker?"_

"Well, it wasn't _just_ us." Ruby said, and Yang was glad for it because otherwise she knew that the two of them wouldn't get him to calm down much. "We had help! From like.. two teams. Ours and another one. But it was super cool!"

Taiyang nodded. "And you said that this happened on a mission, right?" Just like that, he smirked and locked his eyes with Yang's. That alone made it obvious enough that he had just seen through their story on at least some level.

Yang felt some guilt for it, but if he was already seeing through the story then it was probably for the best if they came clean. She looked at Ruby, who looked a little bit worried herself before letting out a quiet sigh.

"Uh..." Yang started, doing her best to figure out what she wanted to do. "Yeah, it wasn't on an... _official_ mission." She sighed, because yeah, if it had been an official mission it would have only been two whole teams, and they definitely would have been with a Huntsman. "Something had happened so we'd needed to go out and see if we could fix things..."

Ruby nodded along, her expression falling as she looked down at her hands where they were resting in her lap. "We were trying to find our friend." She explained quietly. "And we took some friends to help, and then they ended up running into the Deathstalker so they called us to come and help them. So we did."

The look on their father's face was still unsure. If it weren't him, if they had been talking to Qrow instead, she is sure that he would have gotten up and gone to get a drink or do something. He would have wanted to put some sort of distance between himself and them for a little bit so that he could have time to just process what had happened.

"You two... fought a Deathstalker." He repeated the words, clearly trying to make sense of them. "Where did this happen?"

"Out in the Emerald Forest." Yang said. "It wasn't the first grimm that we'd fought out there." She hesitated, wondering if going into all of the details on what they knew was a good idea. The pond of sludge was something that made her a little bit sick to think about, so she could only wonder what her father would feel if he heard about it.

"You've fought other grimm?"

"Yeah." Ruby said, her eyes flicking over to meet Yang's and that was when Yang came to the realization that Ruby was just as unsure of what was happening as she was. It was a great comfort, in some way. "We ran into a Beringel with Uncle Qrow a few weeks ago, and then the Deathstalker last night."

Taiyang nodded, but his brow remained furrowed the entire time. Yang saw him turn in his seat, reaching over to jot something down on the notepad on his desk beside him. Yang craned her neck just slightly, doing her best to see what he'd written.

He caught her though, giving her a look with a raised eyebrow that Yang rolled her eyes at. She leaned back into the couch again.

The room was quiet, all three of them clearly waiting for something to break. There was a certain sort of nervousness that settled over the room, and Yang shifted uncomfortably in her seat because she had a feeling that it wasn't going to be able to break. Not easily, at least.

Taiyang sighed heavily and placed his hands onto his stomach, with his fingers interlaced between each other, looking at them both with his expression deathly serious. He hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"How many people know about this?"

"Uh-" Ruby looked over at Yang, and Yang just nodded because if their father wanted them to tell the full story of what had happened and what they did know, then they should tell him. Yang trusted him- he wasn't going to tell anyone if they asked him not to. Although, he was probably going to say something to Qrow later. That was something that seemed likely enough.

Ruby nodded, looking at least a little bit more confident and she picked her head up, sitting up straight. "Our team, Team JNPR, Uncle Qrow, Ozpin, and General Ironwood and one of his specialists. Probably some other people that work at Beacon too."

"So not many people then." Their dad said, his voice still deadly serious. "And you two weren't supposed to tell anyone, were you?"

"No." Yang said, but she didn't allow for herself to shrink back at all when she answered. "But we figured that Qrow would tell you sometime anyways. And..."

"And you aren't a civilian, dad." Ruby offered, jolting forward in her seat a little bit. "You're a huntsman, if something happens that you're probably going to end up going out there to fight anyways."

"Yeah, you're right." There was that silence again and their father looked like he was almost... far away. Yang watched her father rise from his seat, turning and walking to one of the windows on the far side of the room. He stared out of it, his eyes scanning for something out on the horizon.

Yang got up and walked up to his side, looking out the same way and only wondering what he could have been thinking about, or what he'd been looking for. She saw the giant grimm on the horizon, and it stopped where it walked, this time rearing back almost like it had been startled.

It sent a jolt of _something_ through Yang that told her that she needed to run or go and do something, but just as soon as the feeling arrived, the grimm turned, re-treading its steps like it had been drawn by something.

"Dad?" Yang asked, turning her head slowly to look up to him. He looked sad, and he just nodded and looked down at her, frown on his face.

"You two are... so much like your mothers." He said, his voice obviously strained and him obviously upset. "So I guess that we should all probably talk."

The mention of her mother did sting, but Yang made an effort not to let it show. It was something that she had spent most of her life feeling frustrated by. When her mother was brought up, it was only ever in passing and it was never even nearly enough to satisfy Yang for what she wanted to know.

But if they were going to talk, then they were going to talk.

"What do you... want to talk about?" Ruby asked, and Yang knew that her sister was looking at her, looking for any sign that something was wrong from her. Yang didn't allow herself to look back and find out, not when things were the way that they were.

Taiyang sighed.

"When we were your age- me, your mothers, and your Uncle Qrow, we used to... get into a lot of trouble." Taiyang explained, placing plenty of time between each word. Yang found herself clinging on to each and every one because it was a chance for her to get some of the answers that it felt like she had spent most of her life searching for. "And we did things that we weren't supposed to without realizing just how dangerous they were."

"So you're mad at us?" Ruby asked. "Because we wouldn't have gone out if we didn't know that Blake was out in the forest-"

"No," Taiyang sighed, his voice sounding gentle and soft in ways that Yang had desperately needed. "I just want to make sure that you two realize just how dangerous the things that you're involved in are now. When you said that you wanted to go to Signal, I supported you. And your Uncle did too, but things were different then. The only monsters out there were the ones so big they could beat down villages on their own. I didn't know if you two would ever see normal sized grimm."

"Are you seriously asking us to stop?" Yang all but snapped at her father because that was all that she could imagine happening from this conversation. He was going on about how things were so dangerous, but-

"What?" he asked, and he seemed to be taken aback by the suggestion that was what he was trying to do. "No, of course not. But I want you two to realize just how dangerous this life is. If grimm are going to be more common again, then it's important that you know what you're up against."

"But we know what we're up against." Yang replied. "We've fought them, and done simulations, and we've been to the classes. We haven't gone anything near that monster-" She pointed at the window, out towards the giant grimm that was lingering out by the edges of Vale. "But we know what we're doing."

"No," Taiyang's voice began to raise, obvious frustration and anger creeping up into it. "You don't know _anything_ about what you're doing. You two went out there looking for your friend, and you didn't even think about what could have happened. What would have happened if that monster saw you, or your friends, and then none of you came home?"

Yang snapped her jaw shut because when they'd gone out looking for Blake, that hadn't been something that had even began to creep up onto their radars. They'd been so worried about Blake, and then when JNPR had run into trouble-

What would have happened if they didn't have a plan in place already to call if something happened?

Ruby was shrinking back, like she too was realizing the actual weight of what the two of them had done.

"I thought so." Taiyang said, holding his head high and letting out a sigh. None of his frustration seemed to go with it. "Just... sit down and let me tell you two a story, okay?"

Yang nodded, deciding to let herself back down. She let herself down into the seat beside her sister, and felt Ruby inch closer to her, just by the slightest increments. "Fine."

Taiyang nodded and took his seat.

"When we were your age, team STRQ got into a lot of trouble. We went on unauthorized missions, we racked up numbers like you wouldn't believe. We were some of Beacon's best." Taiyang took his time with the story, and Yang couldn't quite figure out whether or not she wanted to hear it the longer it went on. "On our third mission, we went out into the field for an escort mission. Get someone from the city to Mountain Glenn's ruins, and then get them back."

Taiyang paused, leaning back in his seat and relaxing at least a little bit. But Yang couldn't help but notice certain things about how he was doing things- the way that he would lean back in his seat, or the way that he wouldn't look at them directly. Like there was something that was truly plaguing him.

"I bet to you two that sounds like an easy mission, right?"

"Uh..." Ruby hesitated. "I guess?"

"How long-" Taiyang said, leaning in and letting his blue eyes flick between the two of them in search of something. "Do you think that it takes for a mission to go wrong?"

And that was a question that Yang truly didn't have an answer to.

"I thought so." Taiyang mumbled. "We got distracted by a small pack of grimm. Two or three boarbatusks, pretty simple based on what we were supposed to know about grimm and what we'd done before. We lost track of our charge for less than a minute in the battle." His voice dropped in volume, and he sounded like he was beyond deathly serious. "That was all that it took. He'd ended up getting mauled by a fourth grimm that had been hiding in the bushes and we weren't able to complete the mission successfully because of it."

The words ended up hanging there in the air between the three of them, and Yang realized very quickly what her father meant. They had lost track of someone that they'd been trying to protect, and then that person had been killed for it.

Taiyang kept talking though. "You two never want to have to go through that. You don't want to have to go back to a city and tell someone that you failed, and that the people you were out there with didn't make it back. You don't want for anyone to have to deliver that news about you either. It only takes a second for everything to go to hell."

He hesitated, sighing. "I am afraid of losing you two more than anything. Students die at the academies every year. You two are taking on a dangerous lifestyle, and I just... need to know that you two are being smart while you're out there. And that you realize what can happen."

"You're afraid we're going to end up like Summer, right?" Yang asked, knowing that she probably sounded a bit more bitter than she'd wanted to come off as. Ruby seemed the shrink back from the words, but Yang sighed. "With someone only coming home with word that we won't be back."

"Of course I'm afraid." Taiyang murmured, his voice coming out as barely above a whisper. "What kind of father would I be if I wasn't?"

"I'm not the only one worrying about what happens to you girls at that academy. You aren't the only ones that people are worrying about. Your Uncle is scared too, and so are your teachers, and so are your friend's families. You two are going to be able to do great things, but I am afraid of what can happen. If you two are going to go off doing secret missions-" His voice trailed off, and Yang noticed the way that her father's gaze fell on the window, staring out it but clearly not looking at the grimm that was there, hovering on the horizon. It was like he was looking for something else and he didn't want to talk about it.

It left Yang with other thoughts at the back of her mind. "Then?"

"Then you two should do them with your team. But I need for you two to do something to make sure that someone knows where you've gone. It doesn't have to be before you leave, but... I never want to know that you two were out there alone and you couldn't come home after for whatever reason. You're my girls. The most important people in my life. I'm afraid, but I love you and... and you two are going to be amazing huntresses."

"Thanks, dad." Yang mumbled, and she watched as Ruby got up and crossed the space. She walked up to their father and reached out for him, wrapping her arms around him. Taiyang smiled softly and hugged her close, and a moment later, Yang let herself go in the same way for a hug of some sort.

It was nice, but Yang knew that she wasn't going to be able to forget about the fact that the three of them had gone through this talk.

Because at the end of the day, their father was right. They were doing risky things, and-

And it was going to be up to her to try and keep an eye out for her sister, or to look out for their teammates.

Yang was suddenly more afraid than she ever had been before about what they were doing for work.


	39. Progression Piece

**I fell behind a little bit so I decided to add both chapters 38 and 39 at once. Make sure you don't miss one!**

* * *

With a single swing of Myrtenaster, Weiss created a glyph below her feet, the same way that she had been instructed and launched herself up into the air, already preparing the next glyph so that she would have a landing point when she reached it.

The training session was something that she had been looking forward to some time, but that wasn't something that her sister and the General didn't need to know. For the moment, Weiss was much more concerned with the knowledge that she was the one that all eyes in the room were glued to. Everyone in the room were there for _her._

Weiss landed and she let the glyph turn, beginning to prepare the next glyph to leap onto once it was ready. It appeared and waited, and when she launched herself and landed there it turned black. Moments later the next instructions came to her in the sound of a shout from her sister. They were simple enough- focus on the next place until she was up at the rafters of the training room that she'd been allowed to commandeer for that day.

So Weiss followed them, chaining glyph after glyph together until she was resting on the rafters with her feet dangling down from them. She'd been told that she would get a chance to rest, and so now that she had it she had every intent of using it.

She took in a deep breath in an attempt to calm down and relax, since she was already feeling the strain from the practice session. The first half hour had been spent on simple swordplay, and semblance had come soon after. Weiss had no illusions that actual combat was going to be the next step. She just needed a chance to catch her breath first.

No matter what, it appeared that both of the people that had come to teach her that night had come with the full intent of pushing her to her absolute limit. Weiss had no doubts about whether that was a good thing or not.

"You did well." Winter shouted from the balcony where Weiss had seen Qrow stand so many times before, or Ozpin, or one of her instructors. Seeing Winter there was foreign, but it was more than welcome. The fact that General Ironwood was there at her side and seemingly beyond focused added a dimension that Weiss hadn't expected. Truthfully, she hadn't been expecting him at all, but Winter had insisted on his presence since he had helped teach her.

"Thank you!" Weiss called back down, allowing herself to lean on a support beam as she caught her breath. "May I have a moment?"

"You know that the grimm and bandits you face won't give you a chance to rest." Winter said, smirking. She glanced over at General Ironwood and got a nod in response. Permission. "But I suppose that it wouldn't hurt."

"Thank you." Weiss sighed and there was a quiet mumbling between Winter and the general, them both clearly conspiring about something. Winter nodded and Weiss cocked her head to the side, wishing that she would have been able to hear more of their conversation. She would have really just liked anything that would have told her what she was going to have to expect next. "Is there anything that I could have improved on?" Weiss said loudly, hoping to get some sort of guideline.

"Your times could have been better, Miss Schnee." General Ironwood said, standing up tall with his head held high. Even from where she was, Weiss could tell that he was watching her closely. "In true combat the potential speeds that you can reach with your glyphs will be one of your greatest strengths. I would recommend that you work on how fast you can create your glyphs, but remember to train your stamina in the process."

Weiss nodded, because it made sense, but she was curious about why the General seemed so confident.

"Was there anything else that you would recommend?" Weiss asked, blinking and looking from the man to her sister. The General closed his eyes and let out a quiet breath that she could see where she was sitting before picking his gaze back up and smiling up at her.

"You're going to want to be able to sustain multiple glyphs at once." He said. "You should come down. We have waited here for you."

"How do you want me to come down?" Weiss called.

"Create your own landing strategy. As a huntress you'll need to be able to do so with no time to prepare." The General responded, and Weiss took a quick moment to survey the area and the way down. The easiest way for her to do it would be to create a few glyphs and leap down on them, but if she was worried about getting tired then that was a strategy that had a chance of not working very well, or coming back to hurt her later.

Winter looked like she wanted to say something or make an offer, but before she got the chance the General waved it away with a gloved hand. Weiss could appreciate it. She looked down at Myrtenaster and picked it up before finally coming up with something.

All that she was going to need was a landing pad that wasn't too hard, and that was something that she could achieve herself.

Weiss pushed herself off of the perch that she'd taken and allowed herself to plummet down, already doing her best to judge just how much of a distance she was going to have before she it the ground. If this was going to go well, she was going to need at least a few feet.

She cast the glyph, letting it hover over the ground by several feet- probably about eight feet in total. Weiss landed on top of it and she felt the way that it seemed to stretch under her. It slowed her descent enough that Weiss was able to allow for the glyph to disappear entirely when she was close enough to the ground.

Her feet made contact with the floor gently, like she had simply floated down.

Both the General and Winter were looking at her, neither of them wanting to say anything about what they were doing. Weiss relaxed once she was on the ground and walked over towards the stairs and climbing them so that she could get some water for herself.

"You're doing well." Winter said to her, smiling as she held out a bottle of water. There was a slight layer of ice that had formed over it, and Weiss smiled at the realization of what it meant. "But there is room for improvement."

"I know." Weiss whispered back as she uncapped the drink for herself. "I'm trying."

"And you're doing well." Ironwood said, holding his head high and his voice surprisingly soft. "I saw the tapes from your combat examination. Between what I saw there and what I've seen here today, in addition to what I have heard there has been a marked improvement. Beacon has truly been serving you well."

Weiss smiled and she dropped into a curtsey in a way that was a little bit too practiced. Had her father been there it would have been more than expected, and the General would have normally dropped into a deep bow of his own.

But her father _wasn't_ there. Instead, they were able to act more informally.

"Thank you, sir." She said before standing back up properly. "I've learned a lot since coming here."

Ironwood nodded with a slight smile on his face and turned to the console that he and Winter were standing by. He seemed to hold his hand over it, almost like he was reconsidering the possibility of using it.

Weiss wondered whether or not it had to do with her having fought the real thing. The simulations were good training tools, but she now knew that they weren't perfect. Far from it, actually.

"As you should have." Ironwood mumbled. "Whenever you're ready, we'll run you through with a simulation. I know that you have fought the real thing at this point-" He looked at her, something in his eyes that Weiss couldn't identify, "But you won't improve without practice, and practice against the real thing is hard to come by."

Weiss nodded and sipped from her drink, letting herself lean up against the railing at her side. For the time being, she wanted to do what she could to start a conversation and clear up some of her own worries.

"Has there been any word from Atlas?" Weiss asked, sure that she was about to overstep more than a few boundaries just by trying to ask. "I know that you were speaking to my father about a contract-"

General Ironwood looked at her, raising an eyebrow curiously but also looking more than a little amused by the question himself. Weiss almost shrank back from it, but was stopped by the General just waving a white gloved hand dismissively.

"You know that I would normally answer that sort of question as though it was classified."

"I'm sorry." Weiss averted her eyes and let her arms wrap around herself in a poor approximation of a hug. "I didn't mean to-"

"But," Ironwood sighed, not breaking his expression for so much as a second, "I suppose that you are asking me about this because you're concerned."

"I am." Weiss replied, her eyes flicking down. "Even if they... don't want me there anymore, or I have upset my father, Atlas is still my home. And there are people I care about there."

The General nodded, and for just a second Weiss could have sworn that she'd seen his eyes flick over to Winter for just a second. "Of course." He said quietly. "If you must know, there have been patrols in search of grimm around the main cities. Nothing has turned up."

Weiss nodded. She thought back to what she herself had faced out in the forest, and all that she could think about in the end was that if there had been a Beringel, and then a Deathstalker of that size out there in addition to the behemoth, there had to be even more. Maybe not there yet, but at the very least present.

She supposed it was just a matter of time before they knew for sure.

The General stared her down, stony and silent before gesturing back to the ring. "You do realize that these are rather severe things to be worrying about."

"I do." Weiss responded as she finished off one last sip of her drink. She capped the bottle and set it down on the balcony and reached for Myrtenaster. If this was going to get started, then she needed to be ready for whatever was to come next.

"Miss Schnee-"

"Weiss." She corrected the man, holding her head up high as she finally took her place in the center of the arena. "My name is Weiss." To almost punctuate the statement, Weiss gave Myrtenaster a swing at her side.

"Weiss," The General corrected himself, his hands slipping down to the console in front of him. "Your concern is a good thing. But you need to prepare for what is right in front of you."

There was a sound, an alarm going off to tell Weiss that the battle was about to start and Weiss readied herself to strike, looking for the first sign that it was going to start. Whatever was selected for her to face- it was going to have been carefully selected for her.

That Weiss was certain of.

The floor below her lit up, and Weiss watched as the soft pulse of dust moving into formation created something.

Beowulf, Weiss' immediate thought told her.

It was her first time facing any sort of grimm alone, and she needed to prove herself.

The simulated grimm picked its head up, and then let out a roar. Weiss furrowed her brow, and gave Myrtenaster a swing, making sure to turn the dust canister in it so that she could send a blast of Dust at the grimm.

A shining bright blue spark hit the beast in the center of the chest, but it didn't seem to do much more than anger it. The Beowulf dropped to all fours and began to charge at her. Weiss crouched, waving her free hand by her feet. A glyph appeared there, and Weiss braced herself for movement, holding Myrtenaster so that she could stab straight into the grim which was charging at her.

She waited for the right moment to strike, and when she saw the opening, Weiss launched herself at it, piercing the beast's chest and flying through its dissipating remains. It was too easy, Weiss thought as she landed on the other side.

There was another sound, and Weiss watched as more Grimm formed right before her eyes, each one a Beowulf but this time instead of there only being one that rose, it was three.

The General _had_ mentioned stamina.

Weiss took a breath, letting the three move in towards her. She took the quickest look around the arena in search of-

She saw it, a false broken pillar that could be the high ground that she wanted so badly.

Weiss cast a glyph as quickly as she possibly could and launched herself into the air over the Beowulves' heads. Mid-air, she twisted herself to face them and checked over her should to check that she could land properly. Weiss concentrated on the space where she was intending to land and waved a hand. The relief rushed through her when she saw the glyph form there.

It turned black, and Weiss was drawn to the center of it. She was several feet over the grimm, and Weiss intended to use that space. The glyph was going to hold for as long as she concentrated and did what she could to maintain it. Weiss turned the canister of dust in her weapon again, and smiled when the fire began to dance up the blade.

Weiss waited, the grimm all racing towards her. As soon as she as sure that they were close enough, Weiss swang Myrtenaster, flame flying out and hitting all three grimm as her weapon passed each of them by.

All three dissipated.

Regardless, Weiss wasn't sure that was going to be the last of it. If anything, she was sure that she was going to be pushed and pushed until she couldn't fight anymore. She didn't know if this was the exact same way in which Winter had been trained, but she was willing to play along anyhow. At the very least, she could trust in the idea that she was under the careful watch of several people that knew to stop it if it got too bad.

Winter wouldn't let it go too far either. Weiss was sure of that.

She stood up tall on the broken pillar and held her head high, looking out for what would come next.

What she saw instead of grimm was the general and her sister standing up on the balcony, the general leaning over to say something to Winter. Winter nodded and took a step back, and Weiss was confused until she watched her sister draw her own weapon. Was she about to be put into the fight with her?

But instead she watched as her sister waved her sword in a way that Weiss had seen before, a simple moulinet, and just like that there was a sound and Weiss watched as a snowstorm began to form around her. Not quite a natural storm, but the influence of Dust from her sister's use.

It was easy enough to figure out what the point was.

She was going to have to keep her head about herself as this went.

The roar caught Weiss off guard, coming from behind her. Out of the thick swirl of the Dust-made storm, a grimm shot out at her, this one a bit bigger than the other Beowulves that she'd already fought.

It knocked her off of the pillar, and Weiss landed on the ground with a thud. During the landing, her sword fell away from her grip, and Weiss nearly panicked over it. She waved a hand as quickly as she could and concentrated, creating a glyph between herself and the grimm. It wasn't going to be enough to push it away, but it was going to keep her safe for a bit.

She pushed back with it, and forced the grimm away just enough to keep it off of her.

The grimm was knocked back when the glyph dissipated and Weiss dove for Myrtenaster. She grabbed the sword and turned the Dust canister in it before plunging it in the ground in front of her. A bloom of ice crystals formed around her in a shield of sorts, but that wasn't going to be enough to hold off the beast and she knew it.

If anything, she would only see more trouble because she'd cut off her own line of sight for the sake of protection.

She heard and could see the outline of the simulated grimm thumping and trying to claw at the ice around her, and then a second set of claws appeared, and then a third after it.

There had to be more, but Weiss couldn't be sure of it. The ice was going to hold- but not for long.

She stood up properly in the dome of ice and took a breath, doing her best to ignore the cold so that she could instead come up with some sort of strategy. There weren't many options at her disposal, so Weiss needed to do what she could with it.

Slowly and carefully, Weiss slipped into the smallest battle stance that she could manage, holding Myrtenaster out in front of her. She was going to have to concentrate and wait for the best possible moment, Weiss was sure of that, but she at least had an ideas.

More claws appeared against the walls of her shield, and the sound of ice cracking and beginning to break mixed in with the sound of the monster's roaring and clawing.

The shield broke, and only then did Weiss allow herself to make her move. She thrust her sword down into the ground and concentrated, and let another bloom of ice form around her, but instead of controlling it and allowing it to form around her as a shield, Weiss ensured that the ice shot outwards in large spikes.

The shield crumbled entirely, and Weiss just watched as the grimm were impaled all at once, and all four of them began to float away in simulated smoke.

There was quiet, but it was near impossible to hear through the sound of her own heartbeat and her heavy breathing. Weiss felt like she was about to drop, and she let her arm drop down to her side. She watched as the storm disappeared, and finally let her arm drop back down to her side now that it seemed like it was over with.

She blinked, like she was clearing the snow away from her eyes and looked up.

Still standing on the balcony were her sister and the General, and she was just nodded to when she locked eyes with him. Weiss nodded as her response and took the moment to store Myrtenaster back away. She walked to the stairs slowly, and then made her way up to where the others would join her.

Winter immediately pressed the bottle of water into her hand again. "You did well." She cut in immediately, before so much as a word could be gotten in edgewise. "It was quite impressive."

"Thank you." Weiss replies before unscrewing the cap of the bottle of water that she'd been given and drinking deeply from it and gracelessly. She didn't care about looks at the moment, not when she was exhausted and she felt like she was about to drop at any second because of what she'd just been through.

She'd thought that fighting with a team was hard enough, but that had been something else entirely.

That was the point of the exercize, Weiss had to guess. She finished her drink and looked up to Ironwood, who was just standing there stony faced and with his eyes far away. He didn't even see like he was paying attention to what was going on.

Weiss looked to her sister for any sign that she knew what was happening, and was just nodded to.

Finally, Ironwood allowed himself to speak up. His eyes were far away, like he was trying to make sense of something. "Weiss," He asked, taking his time before launching into what he wanted to say. "Have you watched footage of old hunters in action?"

"I haven't." Weiss replied, her eyes flicking down to the floor. "I just... did what I felt I needed to do."

"You did well." Ironwood said as he began to walk to the door, and Weiss felt her heart plummet immediately because she couldn't imagine a single way in which that was good. "You should be proud."

"Sir?" Weiss took a few steps forward, hoping that something was going to be said. "Is something-"

He looked back over his shoulder at her. "You have a strong sense of instinct, Weiss. It should carry you a great distance-"

"But-"

"Miss Schnee." Ironwood stopped her, turning slightly and raising a hand in a universal sign of _quiet_. Weiss almost wanted to shrink back over it, but she wasn't going to go ahead and say or show why. "You are on a great path already. The best that you can do is continue to train."

Weiss nodded, but she couldn't act like there wasn't something that was wrong. Something terrible that made her want to run and hide or cry.

But Ironwood just smiled at her. "You will do great things. I am sure of it."

"Thank you, sir." Weiss said quietly, and she and Winter watched as Ironwood left the two of them alone. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and looked up to Winter. "Did I-"

"You didn't do anything wrong." Winter said, reaching out to pull Weiss into a hug. "He's impressed, he just doesn't always show it."

"Oh." Weiss blinked and looked back to the door, still closed. "So there isn't anything wrong?"

Winter sighed, and she looked sad herself. Weiss had to wonder how many times she had been put through the same thing herself. She wondered just how much the General actually knew about what was going on. "I never know," Winter murmured. "But I know that he thinks you did well. He never lies to students. I've learned that."

"Thank you."

"You're doing well, Weiss."

"Thank you."

* * *

There were a lot of upsides to weekends at Beacon Academy, Blake had realized. She'd come to understand that during the weekends there was very little ever going on. People would go on their recon missions, but everyone was given time away from their classes. That didn't mean that the training rooms weren't constantly booked or anything like that.

It was just a quieter time.

She'd been doing her best to figure out the best ways in which she could use that time. The possibility of her getting to have time to read was there, but that wasn't how Blake wanted to spend her time. Not when she already had other things to worry about, things that couldn't be resolved or dealt with easily.

Ever since arriving back at Beacon, Blake had heard a lot about her decision to run off on her own like she had. Nobody was letting her forget about it, but she hadn't talked to anyone about what it had been like when she'd been off on her own. The one that she needed to talk to was just hard to find.

Blake slipped out of Beacon late at night when none of her teammates would think much of it. She gave them an excuse that she was going to go to the library to find something to read, and nobody questioned it.

Instead of going to the library, Blake went down to the city of Vale and wandered through its streets. She had a feeling that she knew where she was going to find the person that she needed to speak to so badly.

She wandered through the city streets until she was at the bar that she had dragged herself into out of the rain. She'd met Qrow there before, and she was willing to bet that it was a place that he went to fairly regularly.

On the way in, Blake caught a few weird looks from some of the workers. She didn't say anything to them, choosing to hold her head high as she went in and make a beeline for the bar counter.

It was mostly empty, but the bar was clearly preparing for some sort of business later on that night. Blake slipped into the seat where she'd sat the first night that she had come there, and leaned against the counter.

The gigantic man behind it approached her, in the middle of cleaning out a glass as he walked. He just held his head up high just the same before speaking.

"You're a little young to be here." He said calmly. "But you've been in before, haven't you?"

"I'm eighteen." Blake deadpanned with a slight roll of her eyes. "But I'm here because I'm looking for someone."

"And what makes you think you'll find them here?" The man responds. Blake's eyes flick down to the badge on his shirt, the name Hei Xiong Jr. printed there. The bar had been named Junior's, so Blake could only guess that this was the man that owned the place.

"I'm looking for a huntsman." Blake said, still holding her confidence about her. "Qrow Branwen."

Junior hesitated and sighed before setting the cleaned glass on the rack behind him. "And what has you looking for Qrow?"

"I go to Beacon." She paused after the explanation, because she knew that it wasn't going to be anywhere near enough to make things work. "I need to talk to him about something. I figured I might be able to find him here."

Junior sighed and nodded, letting himself lean against the counter himself. "He tends to come in after missions." He explained calmly, eyes flicking to the door himself. "I'd expect him in a few hours. Until then, you're just wasting your time." He shook his head, almost like he was dismissing her. "Look, kid. I get that you need something, but this isn't a place to hang around."

"I know that." Blake replied, but she didn't make any move to go or do anything else. This was a place where she could look for answers, and Blake had every intent on doing what she could to get information out of this man. "I just need to talk to Qrow, but-"

"But what?" Junior responded, and he sounds decently annoyed as they stand there. "You come back in an hour or two, and he might be here. Waiting around won't get you very far."

Blake hesitated and looked back over her shoulder at the door to the building. There were a few members of the club's staff that seemed to be paying some attention to her. Blake didn't like it, and when the urge to let her ears flatten back against her head came, she did everything in her power to resist it.

She hesitated, because she could go to the door at any time if she wanted to. She could have even gone out of the city in search of Qrow herself, but Blake didn't want to do that. Not when she already knew what was out there and she was already worried about what would happen if she didn't find Qrow soon.

"Kid?"

"How about-" Blake started, keeping her voice down. She turned her eyes onto Junior and they locked. She didn't allow herself to even so much as flinch because there was very little that this man could do to scare her. No matter what, she was fairly certain that she'd dealt with worse. "You answer some other questions for me."

"What sorts of questions?" Junior asked, giving a few of the employees of the club a look himself. All at once they all seemed to seep back away from the two of them, and Blake could appreciate the space. "Because I don't know what you think I do here."

Blake sighed. "Just... whether or not certain sorts of people have come through."

"You're going to have to be more specific." Junior said, coming off more annoyed than he had been when the conversation started. "I don't intend to sell anyone out if I don't have to."

That was something that was definitely going to complicate things. Blake shook her head and spoke up anyways. "I wanted to know if you've seen anyone in White Fang regalia come through."

Junior took a half-step back, his eyes widening in surprise. Like he'd been slapped.

Blake didn't move at all, she just sat, waited, and stared Junior down. He took a deep breath and leaned back against the counter once more.

"What is a kid like you looking to know about that for?"

"Consider it a long story." Blake said, tearing her eyes away from him. "I just need to know if anyone from that group has come through."

Junior looked worried, and he locked his eyes with Blake's. "Should I be worrying about you being here?"

"No." Blake sighed. "I just needed to know for... personal reasons."

Junior was silent for a long, long time, and then he finally allowed himself to say something. "Are you one of them?"

"No." Blake hesitated. It felt dangerous to discuss it with _anyone_. "Not anymore."

And that seemed to be all that Junior needed. He stood up tall and let out a quiet sigh. "They don't tend to come through here," He began to explain, though he kept his voice down the entire time. "I figure if they go to certain bars, they aren't coming to this one. Not much of a mystery why. I get the feeling that you're mixed up in things that I don't want to know about."

Blake frowned and nodded before she reached into her pocket and set her scroll down onto the counter in between them in a show of nonaggression. "If Qrow Branwen comes in, can you tell him to call me?"

"I can." Junior said, staring her down. "Should I give a certain name to let him know who is looking for him?"

"Blake Belladonna." Blake responded, and she watched Junior's face for any sign of recognition there. His expression went carefully blank for just a second before he relaxed again and nodded.

"I'll pass the message on." He says, keeping his voice down. "You should watch yourself though, Belladonna."

"Why?" Blake asked as she took her scroll back and tucked it back away.

"I get the feeling I know why you're worried about the White Fang." Junior says. "I've heard the stories."

"Have you, now?"

"They kill their deserters." Junior stated it plainly. Like he was talking about the stock market, or making a food order. "Watch yourself."

"Consider it already done."

The truth was that there wasn't a single thing about the conversation with Junior that Blake liked. She didn't like that he had figured her out, and she didn't like feeling like she needed to run because of his last words to her. For just a second on the way out the door, Blake let the urge to flatten her ears take her, and they moved and shifted under the bow she wore uncomfortably before she took a deep breath and relaxed again.

She walked away from the club, taking the pathway through the city until she was at the gates.

If Qrow was out on a mission, then she was going to be able to cut him off on the way in.

Blake just made herself comfortable by the gates and kept herself aware of everything that was going on. Late that night, too late, Qrow finally walked through the gates alone, looking tired and bored all the same.

He gave her a weird look, and Blake just stared him down in a way that showed just how annoyed she was herself.

"Blake." He greeted her, relaxing slightly and letting his hands drop down to his sides. He reached into his pocket with one of them in search of something. "What has you out here?"

"I need to talk to you." Blake replied to him, keeping her voice even. Qrow shrugged and began to walk through the city himself, taking the path back to Junior's. Blake simply fell into step at his side and let them walk. "About the forest."

"You know we aren't supposed to be talking about that." Qrow said, his volume dropping significantly. "To keep the people at bay."

"It isn't about what you think it is." Blake said, turning and placing herself directly in Qrow's path so that he couldn't pass her or ignore her. He grit his teeth and reached out to brush her aside.

"I don't care to hear about that little stunt you pulled-" Qrow snarled at her. "Because you put everyone in jeopardy. Including my family."

Blake grit her teeth and sped back up to walk beside Qrow again. "I saw something out there."

"Monster?"

"No." Blake responded, keeping her voice down and getting into Qrow's path once more. "In your office, you had three photos. You and Ruby and Yang's family, them on their first day of school, and a photo of you and your sister."

"So?"

"I saw her." Blake said, staring Qrow in the eyes. "Your sister."


	40. Godtouched

Night approached like a creeping beast, and Tyrian sat awake in their camp whilst the others rested. Together they had decided to take cover in an old abandoned building which was all but crumbling to the ground around them. The setting was familiar in its own way because of it, so Tyrian didn't mind. Crumbled buildings had simply become a recurring backdrop in his life.

His space was in a corner without much cover, as was the norm. Tyiran had been pushed off there on his own for the sake of everyone else's comfort, as was also the norm.

Everyone else had gone to sleep hours before, so Tyrian sat up late. That didn't mean that he didn't make any effort to sleep, because he was doing his best, but rest didn't come easily. Mostly he could only find it in himself to listen to the crackle of the fire.

Tyrian let his tail wrap up around him, closed his eyes, and tried to ignore the sounds of the others. There was a gasping sound, and Tyrian shot upright at it and looked at the space around him in alarm. Something was _wrong_ , he didn't know what, but it was _wrong_ and that was reason enough for him to be on guard. If it came to a fight, he would be able to protect himself, at the least. His tail twitched anxiously.

He blinked and looked up the row of bodies by the fire, watching as Cinder sat up partially, her chest heaving and her form tense.

She blinked her one eye, clearly seeking out something in the dark. When her gaze fell on him, Tyrian waved, just with one hand.

Cinder nodded and got up, padding across the space until she was near him. Tyrian was about to open his mouth to say something, but Cinder just nodded in the direction of the road from where they had came. The instruction was simple enough.

Tyrian rose and followed after his teammate. The two of them made it out to the road and once they were alone Cinder allowed herself to speak.

"I saw her." Cinder said, her voice halting and afraid. The revelation left Tyrian with the hairs on the back of his neck raising. "She-"

"What did our Goddess require of you?" Tyrian asked, shifting nervously where he was standing and allowing himself to hunch over slightly. Slowly and carefully, Tyrian let his tail down, unwrapping it from around himself and relaxing.

"The maiden is _here_." Cinder growled the words out. "She should be right here, and yet-"

"We will find her!" Tyrian responded, perhaps a little too quickly and a little too excitedly. When Cinder moved to walk, wrapping her arms around herself, Tyrian followed just as quickly. "We will not let our Goddess down. We will find the girl, and then-"

When the laughing came, Tyrian could only do so much to suppress it.

And he knew, oh he knew that Cinder was staring at him and that she didn't know what to make of him. That didn't matter so much too Tyrian. He caught his breath and caught his emotions in the same second. Dragged himself back down to earth in one fell swoop.

"We're going to have to kill her." Cinder said, but there was something in her voice that Tyrian couldn't quite decipher. He had never been the best with understanding other people, and this was no exception to that. "You're willing to go along with it."

"I am." Tyrian responded, standing up straight for the first time since he'd risen from bed to follow after Cinder. "Of course. If our Goddess-"

" _What makes you so sure?_ " Cinder snaps at him, and Tyrian closes his jaw so quickly that his teeth click against each other. "She only comes to us in-"

"Prophesies!" Tyrian finished before Cinder could. He brought his hands together, and he slowly began to bring his right up on his left, travelling up the arm and the wrapped bandages. Even with the bandages there, he could feel the raised bumps of scar tissue. "She comes to us because she chose us to best serve her."

"Then why us?" Cinder asked, turning slowly. "Why would she-" She shook her head and took a breath before locking her eyes with his. "Why does she choose us?"

Tyrian wanted to shrink back over that question. He remembered the first times in which he had asked the very same question, although he'd posed it to Watts. The answer that he had been given had been akin to a snarl or a slap rather than an answer. Tyrian had just learned to accept it because the life that he had with the others was all that he had left at this point in his life.

"She chooses us because we are the ones that can best serve her." Tyrian repeated the words, blinking and trying not to let his nerves get the best of him. He found himself twining his fingers in the bandages that are wrapped up around his arms. It didn't serve to give him any calm when he so desperately needed it. The scars brushed against the tips of his fingers. "Our Goddess chose you because she will need a maiden, she chose me because-"

Tyrian tripped over his own words and snapped his jaw shut before he could allow for himself to make things worse. His eyes flicked from Cinder to the ground and then back again, all the while him unable to find when he needed to say to her.

Cinder shook her head though, since he had apparently failed to answer the questions that she needed answers to. "What I don't understand is why we have to do anything for her in the first place. If she is so powerful-" The words are snarled out at him, and for just a second Tyrian could have sworn that he had heard some sort of distortion to Cinder's voice.

Her voice, blending in with another that was not her own.

Tyrian immediately jerked back away from her, tightening his grip on himself.

Cinder's eyebrow furrowed, her mouth opening in surprise. She took a step in towards him and raised a hand so that she could reach out for Tyrian.

Instinct took him and he shrank back, the same way that he would have from anyone else.

"We-" Tyrian began to start to speak. He tried his best not to hiss the words, tried his best not to get more worried or nervous. "She has chosen us!"

"For what, Tyrian?" Cinder asked, taking a step back in towards him, still with her hand raised to him. "Why has she chosen us?"

Tyrian shrank back more, pressing himself in against the wall of a building. His head ducked and he wished that he had let his hair fall down in front of his face so that he could be sure that he would have an extra layer of safety from Cinder. When he breathed, he sucked in nervous, afraid gasps that did little to keep him from getting lightheaded.

"Tyrian!" Cinder shouted, and there it was again, that distortion in her voice that made her sound like it was two speaking instead of just one. "Tell me!"

"Remnant is _broken!_ " Tyrian managed to get the words out, hissing them out loudly at Cinder. He stared at her from eyes that had tears already leaking from them. "Remnant is broken and our goddess needs us to fix it for her-"

"What?" Cinder snarled. "That is _nonsense._ "

"But-" Tyrian tore the bandage away from his arm, letting it fall so that every one of his scars was exposed to her. Her watched her eye flicker down to the arm, tracing over every mark and every scar that had been left there. "She has chosen us!"

Tyrian swallowed hard and stepped in towards her, holding his tail high over his head just in case he needed to use it. He took a nervous half-step in towards Cinder, shoving his arm in her direction to show her.

Cinder merely looked upon him with disgust- towards him, towards the miserable creature that he was. She reached out for his arm and wrapped her hand around it, and Tyrian was ready to rip himself back away just as quickly.

"This-" Cinder said, running a thumb over one of the scars. "These are-"

"Hers!" Tyrian returned. "She has given them to us because she wants us to _serve_ her." Slowly, carefully, Tyrian withdrew his arm. "Someone must restore the world for her. She selected us who were best suited for her purposes."

"You know that answer isn't good enough for me, Tyrian." Cinder responded, and there was this eerie sort of calm that ebbed over her. Most of what Tyrian could feel was the nervousness that ripped through his body and ebbed over him like waves. It was the beat of his heart against his chest, and the nervous twitches of his tail, and the early beginning of a burning down in his scars.

He closed his eyes and shrank back again, placing his hands on the sides of his head like it would be able to hold him together, because Tyrian certainly felt like he was falling apart at the seams. "You are not her-" He whispered, dropping his head more and curling in on himself more. Over and over he began to whisper the words to himself because something was _wrong_ and he couldn't handle it.

"Just tell me!" This time Cinder's voice raised into a yell.

From where he was, Tyrian was able to hear the sounds of someone moving around in the building where they were staying. He blinked several times, trying to force the tears that were forming in his eyes from falling.

The voice that interrupted was one that Tyrian was all too glad to hear.

"Girl." Watts' voice said, but inside there was a quiet mumbling. Hazel and the other girl, probably trying to calm down.

Tyrian cast one last glance at Cinder before scrambling back to Watts' side. Watts said nothing to him, just shot him a harsh enough look that Tyrian would stay there rather than going inside.

Cinder grit her teeth and looked at Watts. "What?"

"Do you really have nothing better to do than torment the insect?" Watts asked, and Tyrian allowed himself to relax, if only slightly for the time being. "I am sure that you have better things to do."

Cinder didn't relax at all. She was holding herself like she was preparing for a fight. "I need to have some more answers if I am going to stay here." Tyrian glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, as blurry as she was. "I don't like that I haven't been able to get a straight answer about anything since joining you."

"So you decided to torment the one that couldn't have given you any good answers?"

"I-"

"If you want answers, hurting him won't get you anywhere." Watts said, straightening up and any anger that he had been feeling ebbing out of his voice at once. He shot Tyrian a glance that said rather plainly that he needed to go inside. Tyrian nodded and slipped back into the building.

What he found inside was that Hazel and Emerald were by the window overlooking the street, both holding themselves just out of view. Tyrian looked between them and dropped down low before huddling into the space between them just under the window where he could still listen along.

In the street, Cinder and Watts were talking still.

"Girl." Watts said, his voice accompanied by the sound of the gravel moving beneath his feet with every step. "The answer that you are looking for is that Salem is akin to a God, and her domain has been disturbed."

"And?"

"And you live in a world of fairy tales, heroes and magic." Watts continued, his voice getting as harsh as ever. "A world where a god was slain in her physical form, many years ago. Restoring her power is something which cannot be done without people to serve her."

"So she chose us." Cinder snapped back. "Why us?"

"The boy is correct." Watts said, and Tyrian let his head pick up just enough so that he could get a glance back onto the street. "We were the ones best suited for her. You think that it is a coincidence-" Watts took a few steps forward and glanced back over at the building, a glare of sorts.

When he was squarely in Cinder's space, he continued. "He selected us for our traits. Loyalty, strength, intellect." Watts grinned, brushing Cinder's hair away from her scarred over eye, showing the brand that she had been given clear as day. "Whatever you are. I want to say ambition, but I don't think that's it. Perhaps foolishness."

"She could have found those traits in anyone."

"Quite the contrary." Watts replied. "She selected two of us because of history. The insect was presumably chosen for his broken mind."

"And me?"

"She saw something in you."

"You know that doesn't mean anything." Cinder says, but the rebuttal from Watts comes all too quickly and entirely too harshly.

"It means that you should be grateful." Watts growled back. "And stop keeping the rest of us from resting."

There was a quiet that fell over the space, and Tyrian's eyes widened when he came to remember why Cinder had said she'd gotten up early that night. In the whirlwind of everything that was going on, Tyrian had all but forgotten about it.

He looked up at Hazel, but was unable to keep the vaguely panicked expression off his face.

Hazel looked back down at him in a way that read as being wholly unamused. Tyrian nodded back in the direction of the road, and Hazel's eyebrow raised in some interest. Hazel took a half-step forward, just so that he could see what was going on just outside.

"Salem came to me." Cinder said, still out on the street. Tyrian turned and let himself sit up properly so that he could see what was going on outside for himself. Watts had gone dead still, and even Emerald didn't seem to be doing too well with what had just been said.

Watts turned slowly so that he could face her again, his expression deathly serious.

"In which way?"

"Vision." Cinder replied, sighing. "There should be a maiden here."

"And yet we haven't seen one."

"Then why would she have-"

Before Cinder got to finish what she was saying, Hazel was leaving the building. It left Tyrian and Emerald inside on their own. The two of them exchanged a quick look before the two of them went to follow after Hazel.

While Hazel stood in the doorway, Tyrian and Emerald stood behind him, jockeying for a good view.

"If there is a maiden here we should prepare for her." Hazel said, keeping his voice down in a low growl. "She may not have arrived yet."

Watts rolled his eyes, turning to Hazel now. "And what is your suggestion for that?" He snarled at Hazel. "Seeing as all that has happened this morning is that Cinder and Tyrian have gotten into an argument, and it's gotten us nowhere."

Hazel shook his head. "The thing that we should do is we should prepare the town for an attack."

"But..." Emerald spoke up, still behind Hazel. "How can we be so sure that it will happen?"

"We can't." Hazel growled, taking his steps so that he was outside of the building properly. Tyrian followed after him, and Emerald stepped outside as well, taking a few steps into the road. "But we need to prepare anyhow."

"But if we don't know what a maiden is capable of-" Emerald piped up, but snapped her jaw back shut when Watts shot her a glare. She visibly shrank back, and nobody said anything else to her.

Hazel spoke up. "There is high ground where we can position some of us until we are in a more secure position." He made the suggestion before looking at Watts and Cinder each. "You two are the best suited for that position."

Watts rolled his eyes and went back inside wordlessly to get his things. Cinder almost shrank back, but she held her head up high and went in to do the same thing. Once they were out of view, Hazel decided to come in and give further directions for their group.

"Tyrian, you and I will stay low and prepare for a physical confrontation."

That was a good enough role, Tyrian thought. He just nodded his agreement before going in to make sure that he himself would be armed. From outside, Hazel continued to speak, turning his attention onto Emerald.

"What do you want for me to do, sir?" Emerald asked, just within Tyrian's earshot.

"Hide and be prepared to create a distraction." Hazel said, his voice low in volume and him sounding gruff and exhausted as ever. "You can best prepare us for an ambush."

With orders handed out, the entire group scattered just as had been intended. Tyrian stretched out his body as much as he could, just doing what he could to make sure that he wasn't going to be risking any sort of injury.

He found his position, made himself comfortable, and waited.

The communication amongst their group was all but absent. Emerald had decided that she was going to hide by the building that they'd decided to use for shelter. Cinder had taken her place on top of it, while Watts had found a secure location of his own.

Tyrian and Hazel waited on opposite sides of the city gates, both silent and both ready.

It felt like they had been waiting there for hours. Tyrian nearly slipped off to sleep himself, only to be woken back up by the sound of an arrow embedding itself into the wall at his side. He forced himself back awake and shook his head, remembering that he was going to have to be ready.

They just needed for the alleged maiden to arrive.

Either they were going to have an attack, or they were going to split off.

Tyrian didn't know what would be the case.

Another hour or two passed, and the sun began to rise over Mistral. Tyrian let himself look up at it and blinked because if it was morning, then it was time for people to be travelling. He wasn't the only one that was getting annoyed with the situation, that much was clear enough on its own.

Finally, a sound broke through the relative silence of their space.

Tyrian craned his neck, looking for the source of the noise.

It was the sound of hooves against cobblestone, and for someone to be travelling alone they would have had to be confident. Tyrian closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before digging his feet into the ground and leaning forward to place his open palms on the ground in front of him.

It was definitely only one person. Hazel was tense across from him. Emerald was similarly displeased with the situation.

When their visitor arrived in the village, she was cloaked and riding on a white horse. She didn't seem to be looking out for much of anything, but she was rather clearly armed. That in itself should have set off alarms in Tyrian's mind.

She stopped her mount, casting a glance around the village like she was checking for something. Tyrian could have sworn that her eyes were on him for a moment, but she just shook her head like there was nothing there.

"Hello?" The woman called, to someone that wasn't there.

Tyrian watched as Emerald moved forward, prepared to talk at the very least. "Hello?" She called back, stepping into the clearing. She was walking as though she had a limp, playing up something that wasn't there entirely.

Tyrian had absolutely no idea as to what to think, or what Emerald was doing.

The woman pulled her hood down, and Tyrian's eyes widened when he realized that she had dark hair and skin, and large brown eyes. It almost felt... familiar.

Across from him, Tyrian felt the vibrations of Hazel's heartbeat getting faster.

"Are you hurt?" The young woman asked.

"I am!" Emerald called back, slumping against the wall and holding her arm over a false wound. "Can you help me?"

The woman nodded, going back to her horse to get some things. She opened up a saddlepack and removed something from it. "Are you alone here?"

Emerald looked up at the space where Watts was waiting, looking for some sort of permission from the man. She got a nod of approval, and then she decided to keep on going.

"I'm with my partner." She said calmly. "We ran into trouble from some bandits, and we could use some help."

"Bandits?" The brown haired woman asked as she walked up to Emerald's side. She was carrying some sort of mix of Dust in a bottle, but Tyrian couldn't identify what it was. "All the way out here?"

"Yes!" Emerald replied. "Please, can you help us find our teammates?"

"I was on my way to Mistral." The woman explained calmly. "I'm guessing you're from the academy?"

"We are." Emerald lied. "We should be able to find them if we go back that way."

"Where is your partner?" The woman asked, blinking. "Because I wouldn't mind helping you."

Emerald tilted her head back and shouted. "Cinder!"

Tyrian picked his head up, and he was able to see Cinder's silhouette against the moon. She climbed down off of the roof, storing her weapon behind her. She walked out to the road beside Emerald rather confidently, but she was rather obviously playing along with the girl's ploy.

"Can you help us?" Cinder asked, taking a few steps forward and letting herself lean against the wall beside Emerald. "We're a bit of a ways out."

The woman looked between the two of them and nodded before offering a small medical kit to them. Emerald digged into it first, passing off bits to Cinder for what would seem appropriate for whatever the woman was seeing. "I don't think that I'd mind some extra company. Besides, if you two are from the academy you should get back to Haven so that Lionheart knows you're alright anyways."

"Thank you." Emerald said as she slipped down to the ground and began to bandage wounds that weren't there. "We were hiding out here in case we ended up running into trouble. It's possible that our teammates would come through, but with bandits out here-"

"I understand." The woman said, smiling softly and there a quiet in her voice that was almost comforting. "You two don't have to explain yourselves to me."

"Thank you." Emerald said. "We can start moving whenever you're ready, but..." She sighed. "We've been through a lot."

"Well," The woman said, looking from Emerald to Cinder, but still rather obviously oblivious to the others. "I guess that once you two are ready we'll go. Do you have names?"

"Emerald."

Cinder smiled slightly. "Cinder Fall."

"Oh!" The woman said cheerily. "I'm Amber."

"It's nice to meet you." Emerald said with a forced sort of friendliness. "But really, thank you for helping us."

Amber laughed, and her voice was... nice. Kind. "Well, since I'm a huntress part of my job is looking out for others. So it's really nothing."

"Well, thank you anyways." Emerald said.

Tyrian looked across the way from himself to see that Hazel was still there, craning his neck as though that were necessary for him to do. Like he was desperate for a better look at their target. Watts was out of his view, but Tyrian was sure that he was watching just as closely, and he'd definitely caught on with the plan that had been put into action.

They waited, all silent and all doing their best to stay out of view.

Amber helped Cinder and Emerald both onto her horse, and then began to lead them out of the village, leaving Hazel, Tyrian, and Watts alone like they had been so many times before.

Once the others were far out of view, they met by their group's things.

"We have a new objective, gentlemen." Watts announced plainly as he bundled his things. He looked exhausted, and that was something that Tyrian felt the same way about. None of them had been able to do much in the way of sleeping the night before. "Since we are apparently going to be bandits now. I know that I can't play that role, but-" His eyes fell on Tyrian and a smile split his face. "I know that we have two men that can do so."

"No." Hazel grumbled. "I refuse to aid in this."

"You know your _duty_ , Hazel." Watts said, taking a few steps in. "I doubt that Tyrian would refuse this, but you-" He grinned. "Is this bringing up bad memories for you, Hazel?"

Hazel shot back a glare that could have made a lesser man drop dead. He shouldered his bag and followed after the others once the coast was clear.

Watts nodded to Tyrian, and Tyrian gathered both his things and what was left of Cinder's so that they could continue on their path, once again just the three of them like things had been before.

Now, it felt like there was much more purpose to them travelling together.


	41. Finding Warmth

There were a lot of things about his life that Qrow didn't like all that much. There were even more things that he didn't like _at all_ , and some things which made him regret having ever been born. A lot of things had made him regret much less.

Blake had come to him to talk to him about Raven two days before. Since the two of them had properly discussed the issue, Qrow didn't know what he was supposed to do with himself. Sure, he had seen Raven recently and the two of them had made some sort of progress together, but not by much. Raven was still a missing piece as far as protecting Vale went, as wrong as it was.

There was a reason that Qrow had gone to report the matter of Raven making an appearance after the fact to Ozpin. There was a reason that he'd spent more and more of his time at the bar when he didn't necessarily need to.

He sat in Junior's bar, having tucked himself away in a back corner with a drink in his hand and absolutely zero desire to get involved in what was going on with anything else. If he sat there in a corner, the odds that anyone would come to bother him were low. He wanted to be alone with his drink, at least until his company showed up. Being around Raven always left him feeling terrible.

And when he felt like that, there was always alcohol.

Where there was alcohol, it was easy to gather friends.

Qrow blocked out the world around him as much as he could and looked over at the bar's entrance when people came in. He saw Ironwood come in, with Glynda in tow and just raised a hand enough to catch one or both of their attention. It was only a moment before Ironwood was leading the way over to him.

James slid into the booth directly across from Qrow, Glynda sliding in at his side but also carefully putting some space between the two of them.

"Hey, Jimmy." Qrow greeted him. "Glynda."

"Qrow." Glynda replied, making herself more comfortable. She eyed his drink warily, so Qrow just took a moment to down what was left of it. "Why did you want for the two of us to come down here?"

"I just wanted to talk." Qrow grumbled. He knew that he could have gone ahead and had this meeting in front of Ozpin, but for some reason it felt inappropriate. What he did know didn't give them all that much to work with when it came to whatever it was that Raven was trying to do. "About some things."

"Qrow-" James said, letting out a sound that was almost a resigned sigh. "You know that if this important, it shouldn't be done in the back of a bar-"

"Yeah, I'll be sure to remember that, Jimmy." Qrow growled at James. "Did it occur to either of you that I might be dealing with something that might be a little more personal than either of you are giving me credit for? Maybe something that's not 100% for work?"

James and Glynda looked at each other, their eyes meeting and gaze holding for a little too long and yeah, that was something that managed to leave Qrow feeling a bit more than just annoyed by the situation. "You know that we don't mean any trouble, Qrow." Glynda said, her voice dropping in volume and her almost sounding calm about it all. "We just want to be sure that-"

"I know how to do my job," Qrow mumbled, frowning at the realization that his drink was empty. He'd have to try and get ahold of Junior to make sure that he could get a second. "I'm just worried about some of the things going on up at the academy."

Qrow cut himself off, realizing that he hadn't exactly found the best way to explain what he was doing there or what he needed. "I've been worrying about Ruby and Yang a lot."

"I don't see why." Glynda said, sitting up straight with her head held high. "Both of them perform exceptionally well in their classes. They're wonderful students."

"It's not that." Qrow said with a grimace. "I've been worrying about those other kids as well. Their teammates."

"All four do well in their classes." Glynda said, her voice quiet like she was sharing a secret. "And when they've been going out into the field, it has always been under your watch or Bart's on one occasion."

James hesitated for a moment, something reading on his face that made it very clear that he didn't know what he was supposed to say. Whatever it was, he didn't let it last for too long and charged ahead.

"All four of those girls are rather capable. I have looked in on some of Miss Schnee's training sessions. We all know that Blake Belladonna is capable, and both Ruby and Yang are exceptionally well ranked for their year." James said, his voice rigid as ever. "And I... understand, worrying about people involved in this life. We've all lost too many people, and we've all seen people lose too many people."

"And-" Qrow started, but was cut off just as quickly as he tried to involve himself again.

"And it isn't unreasonable to worry. But with the exception of their running off for the sake of their teammate, none of them have been in any real danger." James said, rather pointedly letting his volume drop so low that his voice was barely above a whisper. "So what is this really about?"

"One of the other girls-" Qrow paused. "Blake. She came to me the other day asking to talk about some of the things that happened out in the woods. Tracked me down outside of the city gates late the other night."

James' eyes seemed to widen, and Glynda also seemed surprised by the revelation.

Qrow looked on as the two of them exchanged a look and he noticed that that seemed to have made them both nervous, in their own ways. Glynda let out a breath that seemed to have been held and pushed her blonde bangs back from her face, while James' right hand seemed to ball into a fist, at least slightly.

"What did she want to talk to you about?" Glynda asked, keeping her voice relatively quiet. "For a student to have snuck out like that-"

"Yeah, I know." Qrow mumbled. He's going to need another drink if they're going to have this conversation. The best thing for any of them would have been to just go ahead and order a round, but that depended at least slight on whether or not James would want to drink that night. "She wanted to talk to me about something that she had a run in with out there."

"Grimm?" James asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He didn't look at Qrow, instead choosing to look over his shoulder to check that nobody else was there. "Or something else?"

"Bandits." Qrow said, and he watched the way that Glynda and James both sat back a little bit over the revelation. "Specifically, Branwen tribe bandits."

There was silence at their table, despite the fact that there were people in the bar, and there was music playing over the loudspeakers.

At least Qrow could be confident that he had both James and Glynda's attention on this little matter. "Specifically, she had a run in with my sister. Apparently not all that much happened. I don't think we're going to have to worry about a raid, but-"

"But that's still rather... alarming news." Glynda said, her voice softer than it had been in a long time. Qrow sometimes forgot that she was real and human, and that she genuinely cared for the people around her. He figured that being away from the academies helped out at least a little bit on that front. "Did anything happen with her?"

"No." Qrow mumbled. "Apparently they talked a bit and Raven tried to make sure Blake made it back to school. Asked a few weird questions."

James reached for his scroll, already swiping to a map of Vale so that he could make some plans. Qrow wouldn't have been surprised to know that James needed to check in on some of his own men. Specialists were sure to be creeping around the forest at that point.

He swallowed hard, and Qrow leaned in so that he could get a better view of what James was doing. The general rolled his eyes and expanded his Scroll to its biggest size before lying it down on the table between the three of them. On the map, there were small symbols, which Qrow realized were upside down letters on it. Definitely people that had been sent to patrol.

The giant grimm's location had been marked, and in red was the spawning pool that they had located. Leave it to James to be comprehensive about every single detail if he got the chance to be.

The prick.

"Qrow-" James said, his voice still low in volume. "Do you think that you could pinpoint where that tribe is staying?" He turned the scroll so that Qrow could look at it directly now, and Qrow frowned because looking at a landscape from overhead as a bird and looking at one from a map somehow managed to be completely different.

But, if there was anything that Qrow could take some comfort in it was that James hadn't mentioned the tribe as _his_ tribe. It was a sign of sorts that James understood that it was complicated, and that was about all that Qrow could hope for from the general. Especially when the guy's position meant that he should look at bandits a bit more harshly than he did.

"I can try." He grumbled. "But you need to realize that they don't exactly like to stay in the same place all the time."

"We understand that." Glynda sighed. "But we're going to need to know whatever we can if it will help."

"Yeah," Qrow grumbled as he resisted a rather serious urge to roll his eyes. It wasn't like Glynda or James were trying to smother him, and it was true that they needed all of the information that they could get. He just didn't want to be talked to like he had no idea what was going on. But he looked down at the map on the scroll, blinking and taking in all of the information that had been brought in.

He started at the city of Vale and began to trace his trail outwards, farther and farther until he reached a place deep in the forest by the river. He remembered it perfectly, and took the moment to mark it on the map before passing it back to James. "I can't promise that's up to date. At all. Bandits don't exactly like staying in one place."

"I understand." James replied, taking a glance at the location and raising an eyebrow. Whatever was going on in his head, Qrow didn't exactly know, but James probably knew something that he didn't. "We'll do what we can with this."

There was quiet. Qrow took a deep breath once the scroll was tucked back away and raised a hand so that he could wave Junior over to where he was. Junior stood by the bar, his head high. He saw Qrow and nodded, murmuring something to one of his employees before walking over to join them. Qrow watched him check a pocket on his vest for something, and smirked.

Junior got there and leaned in towards the table. "What is it?" he asked, like he was expecting for them to be there for the usual reason that anyone went to him or needed to talk to him.

"Some drinks would be nice." Qrow said with a shrug. "You know what I want. These two-" James and Glynda looked at each other before James spoke up and rambled off a drink order and Glynda simply asked for a glass of wine.

"Got it." Junior said, having scribbled it all down before tucking his little notepad back away. He looked among the three of them suspiciously. "Was there anything else?"

Qrow hesitated, because he couldn't be sure that anything that they were dealing with was something which Junior could help with. But he thought of something that he could go ahead and say, so Qrow charged ahead. "I wanted to thank you for telling that kid where to find me."

"It's no problem." Junior said, his voice suspiciously calm. "She came in looking for you and I didn't want to turn her away. But you might want to keep an eye on her. She's been in a few times now."

And that, more than anything else, was the sign that they needed to start paying attention. Qrow blinked and shifted in his seat, leaning over towards Junior while Glynda and James did the same. Having ensure that they were safe to talk, Junior continued.

"When she came in she and I got to talking. She was asking questions about the White Fang, but I don't-" He paused, head picking up to look over at the door and make sure that they weren't being listened in on. "I don't know the full story. But it sounds like she might know something."

"That's... impossible." Glynda said, her voice soft as she looked among the rest of them. "She's registered to Beacon Academy as being a human, unless-"

"It wouldn't have been the first time that someone had lied on their registration forms." James spoke up, his voice soft and almost consoling. "But if she hasn't given anyone any reason to worry, then it may be for the best to let her continue with her studies."

Qrow paused, mulling the words over in his head as certain events from the last mission he'd lead RWBY on clicked into place, in different places than they had before. Blake had heard something out in the forest, but she had gotten defensive when she'd been asked about it.

It made sense, even if Qrow didn't know all of the details.

They sat in silence, all mulling it over. Qrow sighed and looked up at Junior. "If she comes in again, call me. Especially if she's looking for information on that."

"Understood." Junior answered before hurrying off to make their drinks.

Once they were alone, Glynda spoke, barely above a whisper.

"She registered under the name Belladonna. I'd considered it a coincidence because it isn't as though people don't share names, but-"

James seemed hesitant. "We need to talk to Ozpin about this."

"Yeah, probably." Qrow muttered, and he really wasn't happy about it at all. "But if we're going to tell Ozpin anything, we need to talk to the kid first."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Glynda asked, sounding a bit unsure. "If the girl came here and is trying to live under cover, then going to her and showing that it isn't working may not work. It could have the effect of making her feel like she needs to run."

"Yeah," Qrow mumbled. He ended up raking a hand through his hair, a little too roughly. It hurt a little bit, too much of a tug at the roots of his hair. "But we can't just go and tell Ozpin that this is happening with the kid not knowing."

James hesitated, thinking hard on something clearly. He took in a deep breath. "It's possible that the best thing that we could do is attempt to reach out to the Chieftain in Menagerie." He said, but he didn't exactly sound happy about it. Of course, if he were the leader of any sort of kingdom and suddenly had the general of Atlas knocking on his door, Qrow wouldn't have been happy either. "But that may be a step which needs to be taken later."

"Not until I've talked to the kid." Qrow reasserted to the group. "I think that I'm the one at Beacon that she trusts the most, so it's probably for the best that I'm the one to go there."

"Right." Glynda said quietly. "Please, Qrow- Don't blow this."

Qrow felt something in him which wanted to react to that or get defensive. When it came to others, and to people that knew about his semblance, he could never trust that he wasn't going to find himself getting thrown out for it. He didn't know ehther that was what Glynda was trying to do, but he still felt that thing that told him that he needed to bolt.

"I'm not going to try." Qrow growled back at her.

Junior approached their table again, his tray carrying a few glasses. He began to serve the drinks, and once they were all calm, it was time to get started.

He made sure to get everything on the table, and then just as quick as he'd arrived, Junior was gone.

Qrow picked up his drink and took a sip of his drink. "I don't like how any of this is going."

James drank from his own, looking far away. Like he almost didn't know how to be there anymore. "Neither do I."

Glynda nodded wordlessly.

* * *

Cinder had been alerted to Emerald dropping her semblance with the feeling of a tap on her arm when the three of them had stopped to camp for the night. It wasn't like being with Watts, Hazel, and Tyrian. There was something about being around people that were actually kind that was... interesting.

Which almost made it harder for her to focus on the job that they had ahead of them.

Amber was fixing a fire, and Cinder watched as she poked at it. If she'd wanted to, she could have gone ahead and tried to just light it herself. But if they were meant to keep their abilities in the dark from Amber, that wasn't such a good idea.

"Hey-" Amber said, her eyes bright and soft. "You two are going to be okay, right?"

"We should be." Cinder answered. "Thank you for helping us."

"It's really no problem." Amber said, smiling and standing up once she was sure that the fire was going right. She stretched and took a walk over towards her horse, removing a few things from its saddlebag. She gave the animal a gentle pat on the shoulder before approaching the fire again. "I do really want to make sure that you can find your teammates before we get to Haven."

"And we appreciate it." Cinder said calmly. "I don't know that we could have gotten that far without your help."

"Well, I'm happy to help." Amber said once she had the fire going and food cooking for the three of them to share. "You two should really be more careful in the future though. Student teams shouldn't be getting into so much trouble out in the field. Or straying so far from the academies."

"We didn't look for it." Emerald said with a shrug, like that explained everything.

"I believe you." Amber sighed, and she looked a little bit exhausted by the mention of it. "When it comes to bandits, there really isn't much of anything that you _can_ do. You hope that you're strong enough to beat them and if you aren't, you hope it doesn't get worse. They don't exactly play by any rules, you know?"

"Right." Cinder said, glancing over at Emerald. The two of them were going to need to come up with some sort of cover story if they were going to make all of this work out. There wasn't much that either of them could do alone though. And Emerald couldn't be expected to carry the whole operation with her semblance.

The problem was that without a good way to contact the others, there was only so much that the two of them would be able to do. When Watts, Tyrian, or Hazel came for them, it was going to be an ordeal in itself.

Because Cinder couldn't expect that they weren't going to be left in a situation where they weren't caught by surprise.

But now that things were going well, Amber dropped into a seat across from the two of them, looking mostly happy and glad to have company for a night.

"So," Amber started, stretching out and making herself a bit more comfortable in her spot. "You two are students at the academy?"

"We are." Cinder says, thinking fast back to her own time at Haven. It hadn't been long, but she had been there more than long enough for her to have been assigned to a team. "We're half of team CLER." She explained, borrowing a name from one of the upperclassman teams at the academy. "We lost sight of our teammates Raleigh and Lorelei during the attack."

"Oh." Amber said, frowning. "That's terrible."

"Thanks." Cinder sighed. "I just don't know if we'll find them alive."

"Neither do I." Emerald said, hunching forward a bit in the spot where she was sitting. "Going back alone would be..."

"Bad." Cinder finished for her.

"Well, I guess it's good that I found you then." Amber sighed.

"What about you?" Emerald asked, blinking. "I mean, did you go to the academy?"

Amber sat up straight, eyes widening in some surprise. "Oh-" She started, swallowing. "I did. I mean, I went to Beacon Academy, but when I graduated I decided to come back out to Mistral. Home is where the heart is and all of that."

"Right." Cinder said.

"Yeah." Amber said, expression suddenly soft. "I like it out here."

To be honest, Cinder was at least a little bit curious about Amber. There was a lot about her that she just didn't know, and while she was interested-

It wasn't wise for her to get too involved, Cinder decided. If she was going to be involved in Amber's eventual death, then the last thing that she needed to do was get attached at all. But she also knew that she was going to need to be able to play along at least a bit.

"I grew up here in Mistral." Cinder said, keeping her voice down. "I've lived here my entire life."

"I have too." Emerald said, blinking and looking over at Cinder with something akin to surprise on her face. "It's... nice. I guess."

"Yeah, well-" Amber said, blinking and stirring a pot that she'd laid out on her fire. "My mother was from here originally, but she'd gone to Beacon for her own reasons. After she and my father got married they moved back to Mistral and raised me in the kingdom."

It was a topic so uninteresting that Cinder almost wished she was back with Watts, Tyrian, and Hazel. None of them would have rambled on about their families.

"So you're just a huntress then?" Cinder asked, looking up at Amber. "Shouldn't you be travelling with a team?"

Amber's face screwed up a little bit, her expression far away for just a moment before she shrugged her shoulders and allowed herself to move forward in the discussion. "I haven't had much of a need for a team in a while. There isn't usually much of a threat aside from bandits out here. Usually I just spend time making sure that people get from town to town safely. It's not very interesting, but I like it."

"Like you're doing for us now." Emerald said, in a certain tone of definite feigned cheerfulness. "So this shouldn't be any trouble."

"No," Amber laughed. "Not really. I've been doing this for long enough that I think that I can handle myself just fine."

Cinder looked over at Emerald, looking for some sort of cue from her partner that the two of them could use. She didn't quite know what they were doing, especially when they couldn't contact the people that were following after them. Watts, Hazel, and Tyrian had to be making plans or something. They had to be keeping an eye out for them in whatever way was possible.

"We'll get back to Haven." Amber said, still smiling widely. "You have my word."

"Thank you." Emerald sighed. She curled up a little bit beside Cinder, while Cinder just made herself as comfortable as she could manage. "I think right now we're both just tired though."

"I can't blame you." Amber sighed. "You two should rest once we eat."

"What about you?" Cinder asked, cocking her head to the side and looking for something from the woman. Amber blinked and looked back down at the food that she was cooking before speaking up again.

Amber reached for the three small bowls that she'd gotten out of her saddlebags when she'd last gone over to her horse. Cinder watched as she began to spoon food into each of them, just cooked and rehydrated rations that would be enough to carry the three of them over for a day or two.

"I figured that you two were going to need to rest, and if there are bandits out here, someone will need to keep watch." Amber explained, like there was nothing wrong. Like she was completely clueless as to what was going on.

It was a sign that things couldn't have gone any better for them.

"I can keep watch." Cinder offered, locking her eyes with Amber. "It's the least that I could do if we're going to be travelling with you."

"Are you sure?" Amber asked, offering Cinder the first of the bowls. "You know that if you're hurt-"

"I know." Cinder sighed. "But I think that I'm going to be fine."

"Right." Amber shrugged. "If you insist, then I won't fight you on it."

"Thank you," Cinder said, just as she began to finally eat her meal. It wasn't anything special, and it was truly some of the blandest cooking that she'd ever tasted. At least when Hazel did things with their trail rations, he tried to do something with them. Although, he'd probably been cooking them for most his life at that point.

But Cinder ate the meal anyways, and when the time came for all of them to rest she went off to keep watch. There was a good spot for her by one of the trees near their camp, and Cinder decided to place herself for the time being.

Amber went to bed, and Cinder feigned it, if the way that she was there nearly an hour after she had gone to bed at Cinder's side was any indication.

"What do you think, ma'am?" Emerald asked, her voice quiet and her looking back towards the camp nervously. "Are we sure that-"

"I don't know." Cinder replied, her voice quiet. She couldn't risk accidentally waking Amber up, since this was probably going to be their only good chance to make strategy plans for some time. "Have you heard anything from Hazel or Watts?"

"I... was going to ask you that." Emerald admitted, sounding sad. "Since you've been working with them longer."

"Right." Cinder said. She knew that she still had her scroll in her bag, but hadn't gotten a chance to check it. Not when she and Emerald had been needing to play along as though they'd both been injured. "I'll see whether or not we have before morning."

"And... what about this lie that we're keeping up?" Emerald asked, and she looked just as nervous as Cinder felt. They both knew that there was something was wrong, and there was no way that they could dodge it. Not as things were. "Because if you need me to-"

"We'll travel with her for a bit." Cinder instructed, blinking back at the camp. "In two days, we'll make it seem as though we've found our teammates."

"And?"

"And hopefully while you create the illusion, Watts, Tyrian, and Hazel will be able to attack."

"Right." Emerald said, her voice quiet and face sunk. "I don't like any of this."

Cinder was silent for a long time, a thousand thoughts and feelings flitting through her all at once.

"I know."


	42. Roar

_The universe was painted black, and red, and white, and gold. It was something incredible and primordial, something that hadn't yet been changed or altered for the best purposes of humanity, or anything else._

 _They floated down, down, down. Past whispers of voices that were both their own but also were not. Past lives that had long since passed, past people and beings and civilizations. The world that they knew somehow both did and did not yet exist._

 _They floated among a feeling that was somewhere between blistering heat and bitter cold._

 _In the nothingness, they met._

 _She was there, skin bone-white and her eyes the same violent red that they had always been. She reached out for them, and opened her mouth as though to say something._

 _This was a dance that the two of them had been through a thousand times before. Always weaving in and out of range of each other, both of them always looking for something where there was likely to be nothing._

" _Ozpin." She greeted them, voice smooth as silk and fluid as water. "It has been a long time."_

" _It has." They responded, but the voice that left their mouth was almost foreign. Not quite their own, surely one that they had used in the past. "I see you are getting stronger."_

 _She laughed at them. Her voice reminded them of bells, but there was something wrong about it- layers which were much like Ozpin's. Past lives, just the same as theirs._

" _I am." She replied to them. "And you should know, Ozpin-" She tugged them in close to her, and they went. Her lips brushed against the shell of their ear as she spoke. "I cannot wait to see you burn."_

" _I won't allow it." Ozpin replied, pulling back and feeling the space around them both getting more intense, and more harsh. "You know that."_

" _I am well aware." She hissed, and just like that Ozpin was kicked from the vision, and that space in between realities. Back into the real world._

Ozpin awoke with a brand on their hand, burned into their palm. It was a familiar thing, something that they hadn't seen in person in a very long time. Wordlessly, Ozpin let their thumb brush over the symbol, and the dread that she had brought settled on them, heavy and infinitely damning.

They climbed out of their bed, late in the night. Since she had come to them, they knew that they wouldn't be able to rest any more. Ozpin dragged themself from their home and went to Beacon, which stood silent and still as always. They took the elevator up the tower to their office, and almost immediately upon arrival Ozpin walked to the window of their office, to look out at the monster that was so far away but so close to them. It picked its head up, and its eyes seemed to ignite into a more vibrant, more violent shade of red.

In one fluid motion, it opened its mouth, and it _roared._

Ozpin reached for their scroll, and made the call for anyone that could help. Glynda, Ironwood, Qrow, Lionheart- everyone that they could think of. Everyone that could possibly be there to protect the people.

Before they were even off the scroll, the students began to scramble, down in the dorms. From where they were staying, Ozpin could hear it all. They dressed themself as quickly as they possibly could, and rushed down to the main hall where students were gathering.

Many of them were afraid and wide eyed, many of them still in their pajamas. Some of them had decided to dress themselves, and some had come armed. A scattered few had managed to get half into their combat clothes, but still clearly more ready for bed than battle.

The second that Ozpin stepped out into view, all of the students looked up at them in panic.

"Students." Ozpin said plainly. "You must do what you can in order to remain calm." It wasn't going to do much to help the situation, but it was the least that they could do. "Any panic here will only further upset it."

"But it roared!" One girl said, taking a few scared steps forward. She was still in her pajamas, and Ozpin recognized her as Nora Valkyrie. "What if it's coming?"

"I have already began to assemble a team of veteran huntsmen to assess and hopefully handle the situation." Ozpin said plainly. "In the meantime, all of you should go back to your rooms, and dress and arm yourselves. I cannot promise that students won't be needed for what is to come."

The tittering that came from the gathered students wasn't encouraging, but they were children and they had a right to be afraid. For many of them, this was likely to be the first time in which they were seeing signs of aggression from such a large grimm, and so close to them. For the vast majority of these students, the last time that grimm had been small and plentiful had been when they were children.

At the back of the hall, the door opened, and General Ironwood strode in, fully dressed for battle and no doubt armed to the teeth. Behind him, Winter Schnee was similarly prepared for whatever was to come.

Ozpin cast one last glance at the crowd. "You should all go and prepare. Should you be needed, a call will be let out on the intercoms in the building. And please, do what you can to remain calm."

Out of the corner of their eye, Ozpin watched as the groups assembled and many of them began off on their way.

They walked to Ironwood, who was soon falling into step beside them. "Ozpin-" Ironwood said, sounding somewhere between upset and frustrated by what was going on. Surely this had brought back bad memories for him as well. No doubt because of the noise. "What is your current plan of action?"

"That will depend on how many huntsmen get here." Ozpin said, watching and keeping an eye open for someone. The door burst open and Qrow and Taiyang both came in, both similarly prepared for battle. Glynda and the other professors were soon to join.

It wasn't a complete group, but it was a good starting point. That Ozpin was confident about.

Everyone was looking for them for action. They took a breath and looked to Glynda, Port, and Oobleck. "I want for you three to go down to the city and do what you can to calm the civilians. Prepare to move them to secure locations."

"Of course, professor." Glynda said, already turning, but Oobleck stood behind. Ozpin cocked an eyebrow at that because if Bart was deciding to stay, he had a good reason for it.

"Professor-" Oobleck started, his voice somewhere between panicked and calm. "I believe that it may be for the best to consider certain historical precedents with regards to battling a grimm of that size."

Ozpin blinked and nodded before looking to Winter. "Go with Glynda and Port."

"You heard them." James said, looking to Winter now, clearly doing his part to make sure that there is a chain of command in place. "If something happens, report in."

"Yes, sir." Winter said before rushing after the others.

Ozpin locked eyes with James now. "If you are able to, assemble whatever troops you have here in Vale. If you have more Specialists, then you should get them as well."

"Understood." James replied, giving them one last very nervous look before stepping away from the others. He was already removing the sleek black scroll from his pocket to make a call, and that left Ozpin to Taiyang and Qrow.

They looked between the two men. The fact that it was the only two of them left from their team was harsh. Ozpin sincerely hoped that it wouldn't get any worse than it already was, but that wasn't something Ozpin could be confident in. "Gentlemen."

"What do you want for us to do, Oz?" Qrow asked, taking a half-step forward. "Because someone is going to have to go out there."

"I want for you two to attempt to lure the beast away from the people of Vale." Ozpin explained, not at all happy with the orders that they were passing down. The risk of danger was too high for their liking. However, as things stood they had no other choice in the matter. "This will be difficult, and you should expect for there to be others joining you in this endeavor when I have a chance to send more out."

Taiyang took a step forward, looking distinctly worried and afraid. "Are you planning to send students?"

"I cannot say just yet." Ozpin said, though it would do nothing to make this any easier. "If it comes to that, I can assure you that all responding hunters will be alerted to that fact."

"Just..." Taiyang swallowed hard. "Don't let my girls get in over their heads."

"I won't." Ozpin answered, not believing so much as a word of it.

* * *

Ruby tugged on her hood, fastening it in place and doing her best to ignore how afraid she felt. It was like that roar couldn't get out of her head, and the remnants of what she and her team had been doing when it had happened had been left on the floor, abandoned school books and sheets of paper and pens alike.

She wasn't the only one that was trying to prepare for what was to come. Weiss was in the process of fixing her hair back and out of the way, Blake was checking the sharpness of her blades, and Yang was stretching, mind probably more on the monster outside than anything else.

It had been all but silent ever since they'd gotten back to the dorm. Nobody had been able to come up with anything that they wanted to say. Ruby was scared herself, and she was at least expecting for someone else to want to do something.

After all, this was a team- if they were going to be able to do anything, they needed to communicate and work together.

Ruby turned to face her teammates. "Guys?" She asked. "What do you think is happening?"

"I don't know." Yang said, and she sounded the most worried already. "Dad sent me a message to let us know that he was going out with Qrow to try and-"

"Dad's going out there?" Ruby's eyes widened and she was able to immediately feel her heart beating too hard against her chest. This was _exactly_ what she didn't want to deal with, and the news about her father and uncle was not a good start. Now Ruby knew that she was going to be worried about her family in addition to everything else.

"Yeah." Yang confirmed. "He said that Ozpin wanted him and Qrow to try and lure it away..."

"Was there any word on my sister?" Weiss asked, still standing with her back turned to them.

Yang sighed. "He didn't mention her."

"Right." Weiss mumbled as she began to load her sword with cartridges of Dust. "So let's say that we do end up getting sent out there-"

"I think that it's likely." Blake said, still not looking back at anyone else. "I don't know that anyone aside from us and JNPR know about there being other grimm out there."

Ruby nodded, walking up to her sister and placing herself in Yang's space, needing something to comfort her. "Blake is right." She said, feeling too quiet. "And we're just first years. If we end up being sent out there-"

"Then it probably won't end well." Weiss finished for her, sounding more upset than she was letting on. "Which means that we need to be ready."

"Okay." Ruby said, taking a deep breath and deciding that if what they needed to do was go out there, then someone needed to lead. And it might as well have been her. "So let's say that we're sent out. If they give us orders, then we'll follow them."

That alone wasn't going to be good enough- Ruby was already sure of that. There needed to be more to their plans if anything was going to go smoothly. "But if something comes up that seems worse or scarier, then-"

"I don't think it's possible that things can get worse than that thing." Yang said, walking over to the window and looking at. Her eyes were scanning the area for something, but Ruby didn't know what. "But if we're called out it'll probably be to deal with smaller threats."

"If they call people out to deal with smaller problems, it probably won't just be us." Blake contributed, walking up to the window as well. Weiss came up not far behind her. "People have been training here for years so that they can fight grimm. Not just us. And that isn't even thinking about how many professional hunters are probably being called in."

She went quiet, expression dark and her gaze far away before Blake continued. "And there are probably other things out there which are just as scared."

"What are you even talking about?" Weiss asked, her voice hardening and sounding much more frustrated. "Nobody is around here for miles."

"That isn't quite true." Yang spoke up, turning to face the rest of them. "There are... people out there. That choose not to live in the city."

Yang was facing them, but Ruby saw the way that her eyes flicked away from the rest of them. Almost like she was doing what she could to avoid the topic before it could drag them all down. It looked like Yang had something suddenly resting on her shoulders, physically weighing her down.

As for Ruby, she didn't exactly know whether or not she actually knew what Yang was talking about. It wasn't exactly a secret that there were things that Yang knew that she and their dad had kept away from Ruby. It had never bothered her before, but now it felt... different. And wrong.

"Yang?" Ruby asked, looking up at her sister's face looking for an explanation of some sort. It didn't need to be a lot, it needed to be enough to explain what Ruby needed to know. "Is... something wrong?"

"Yang is right." Blake spoke up, making sure that Yang was going to be okay by locking eyes. Ruby looked over at her raven haired teammate and listened. "There are people out there. Not villagers, either. Most of them are people trying to make their lives-"

"As bandits." Yang finished, venom dripping from the syllables. "And that's going to be something that they need to look out for as well. Even if it probably won't actually matter."

"Bandits." Weiss repeated the word, but she sounded a little dumbstruck. It probably made sense that Atlas didn't have a lot of bandits though, Ruby thought. Atlas was too cold for people to be able to really live away from their cities. "You have got to be joking. "

"We're not." Blake sighed. "And they live out in the forests."

Ruby nodded along, but she still felt a little bit more than unsure herself.

"So that's something that the hunters probably know about, right?" Ruby asked, picking her head up to meet Yang's eyes. Yang just gave her a look that didn't exactly seem sure about what she was doing. Ruby didn't like that at all. "I mean, they're bandits, do you think that they would-"

Blake shrugged. "I wouldn't put it past them to try and capitalize on the panic."

"Or they'll just run." Yang grumbled, stretching once more with her face more intense and looking more prepared than she had been before on the whole. "I just hope they don't become a problem."

"Right." Ruby whispered, letting her head drop a little bit. "Of course."

"In any case-" Weiss spoke up, and for the first time she looked like she wanted to take charge in some way. She held her head up high, her hand hovering over her sword. "We need to focus in case we are sent out there. Focusing on theoretical possibilities won't get us anywhere."

"Weiss is right." Ruby said, taking a deep breath of her own. They needed to focus. Focus, focus, focus. "We need to-" She looked out the window again, searching for a sign of anything out there that could act as a sign that things were happening. Ruby didn't see anything, and most of the sounds had been civilians rather than combat.

"We need to get ready." Yang finished for her, sounding mostly resigned on the topic. "Right. Got it."

The four of them turned back to their own work, one by one and none of them shying away from it. For Ruby, that meant that she was now moving on to maintaining Crescent Rose.

For several minutes, the team sat in relative silence, with the only thing to jar them from it was the sound of a knock on the door.

All four of them exchanged a panicked look, all looking to the door. Ozpin had said that if something was wrong they would be contacted more directly, so...

Ruby got up and walked to the door. She let her hand hover over the doorknob for a moment before speaking up. "Who is it?"

"It's Jaune." The voice on the other side of the door said. "Can we talk?"

"Is it important?" Ruby asked, looking back over at her teammates.

"Yeah, we wanted to do a... meeting, thing. Can we do that?"

"We can." Ruby spoke up, swallowing hard and pulling the door open. Sure enough, Jaune was there on the other side with his teammates at his sides.

The four of them looked at each other, but Ruby stepped out of the way and invited them in. Together, Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren stepped into the room and stood there by the door.

Only once the door was closed did anyone allow themselves to speak up.

"We had reason to believe that you would be stressed by the current situation." Ren said, and Ruby really couldn't remember a time where he had talked more to her. "And we figured it would be good if the eight of us spent some time together before something happened."

"Thanks." Ruby says, sitting down on her bed. Jaune was pulling out one of the chairs that were in the room. His teammates did the same, and in the process they managed to create a circle for them. "So were you guys talking about what might happen to you too?"

"We were." Pyrrha said, smiling softly but there being a clear sign of nervousness behind her eyes. "Seeing as we've fought actual grimm out there."

Ruby nodded, because that was the exact issue that she would have expected the others would have run into. It was something that they couldn't avoid really. If they were the only ones that knew about what was out there, then that meant that they were going to need to find their solidarity where they could.

Jaune sighed and took a deep breath, like he was steeling himself for what was to come more physically. "We figured that if someone was going to be called, it would be you guys first." He shook his head, and his eyes went over to meet with Pyrrha's. "We just wanted to know that no matter what, we're going to be behind you."

"It's possible we get sent in together." Blake offered, and she seemed unsure. She had picked up a notebook at some point and had scribbled down something there. Ruby craned her neck to try and figure out what Blake was writing. She couldn't tell at all. "Considering the size of that grimm."

Weiss blinked. "But it's also possible that we don't get sent out there at all."

"That depends on how the hunters do." Yang added, her voice still noticibly frustated by what was going on. None of them wanted to be the first to go out there, that much was obvious. "We might be sitting around here for nothing."

Nora nodded, her lips pursed and her legs swinging in the seat where she was sitting. "I mean, I don't know that's so bad."

Ren took a deep breath and looked among the room. He sat in a way where he was almost eerily still, and while that was enough to leave Ruby feeling a little bit unsure and nervous about herself, she didn't comment. He hesitated a moment, and then began to speak.

"Either way, if we get sent out together into the field we should be prepared to work together." Ren said, his eyes flicking back down to the ground and to his hands. They were balled in his lap, but they relaxed a moment later. "While our teams have some experience together in the past, we don't have the best ideas as to how to work together."

"I mean-" Jaune spoke up, waving a hand and gesturing vaguely, clearly unable to find the words that he felt like he needed to say. "We know how to work with our own teams, and we did pretty well as a group last time-"

"So if we're going to talk about this, then we should talk about it." Yang cut the others off. Ruby gave her sister a look, because she knew that Yang was getting impatient and that was something that they couldn't deal with. "What do you want to do, go around in a circle and everyone share what they can do?"

Ruby hesitated because it felt like Yang was just trying to be sarcastic about it all, but at the same time it didn't feel that way. It was a good idea, one that they could go along with and one that they could use.

"I have Crescent Rose." Ruby started first, gesturing to her weapon, which she had folded away at the same time that JNPR had arrived. "And my semblance is speed, but if I can do it right I can basically fly."

"Lightning." Nora said, offhandedly. "And a big hammer. If I can get a good blast of electricity, I can use that to get stronger. But if it's too much it can hurt. Not sure if I'm going to be able to get that, though."

"Right." Pyrrha said, nodding and her brow furrowing. Pyrrha closes her eyes for a second, taking a breath before beginning her own explanation. She opened her eyes up and hovered her hand by her shield, and Ruby watched in wonder as it raised and floated up to her, only a small black aura surrounding it to show that something is happening. "My semblance is polarity." Pyrrha explained, smiling softly as she took the shield back in hand and set it down, by her leg and nice and neat. "I prefer not to use it too much in tournaments, but in a setting where there is a lot going on, I could do a lot to help."

"Is there anything that you need to know in particular for that to work?" Weiss asked, seeming curious. Maybe she had seen something of it before?

Pyrrha shrugged. "I just need to know that something is made of metal. Most people's weapons are made of alloys that I can manipulate, but that isn't such a sure thing with bullets. And even then, I prefer not to intervene unless I really need to."

"Got it." Ruby said, nodding because she was already starting to get ideas. She didn't know if she could ever use Pyrrha's abilities in combat, but there were definitely a lot of possibilities. Ruby couldn't speak for her teammates, but she knew for a fact that she didn't use bullets entirely made of dust. She looked over at her teammates, waiting for one of them to speak up and give an explanation.

To no surprise of hers, Yang let out a breath and stretched her arms. "I basically get stronger for every time I get hit. The weaker my aura is, the harder I can go. There's a limit, but if we really need it I can just throw myself to the front." She looked over at Weiss, grinning. "And I think that you're one of the best ones to do that. I mean, you've got that fancy glyph semblance."

"I can't do everything with it!" Weiss exclaimed, her face turning a bit red. "I can do a lot, but... I'm not as good as I could be. I will be, though."

Blake was about to open her mouth to explain when there was a knock on the door to team RWBY's room and they all went dead silent. Every single one of the students there locked eyes with each other, all feeling just as afraid as the others. It occured to Ruby that they could run into a lot of trouble for having JNPR there at a time where there was an important situation going on.

"You should get it." Jaune stage whispered to her, and Ruby nodded. She got up and stretched before approaching the door and letting her hand hover over it.

She didn't have the time to go hesitating over this, and yet here she was. "Who is it?" Ruby asked, doing her best to keep any panic from reaching her voice.

"This is Doctor Oobleck." The voice on the other side of the door. "I have been asked to retrieve your team and to take you into the forest."

Ruby pulled the door open at that, because she really didn't want to get into trouble for dragging this whole thing down.

On the other side, Oobleck was standing there with his head held high and decked out in the same hunting gear that he had worn on their first real mission. He looked at the people in the room and when he saw team JNPR he smiled a bit. "And there is the other set of students I was about to seek out. I need for all eight of you to come with me. I hope that you are prepared for what is to come."

"That's what we've been doing." Ruby replied as she broke into a light jog to get her over to her bed. Crescent Rose was there, sitting on her bed and waiting for her. She took a deep breath and picked the scythe up before attaching it to the magnetic plate on her back.

Everyone else in the room rallied and got ready, and as soon as everyone was prepared, Oobleck began to lead them out, rambling off what sounded almost like a memorized mission dossier far too quickly for Ruby to really be able to catch.

This was real, and it was happening.

Ruby was more afraid than she ever had been in her life.


	43. Fall

Tyrian followed after Emerald, Cinder, and the maiden from the shadows, always keeping a close eye on them as he always stayed just out of their vision. He stuck low to the ground and concentrated on information more than anything else, like the excitement that thrummed through his veins. The others didn't _need_ to know that he was there, but he was the main point of contact that existed between their two groups.

All because he was fast and he was good at keeping quiet, when need be. They'd needed a tracker, and Tyrian was willing to be that person. He could hear better than the others, even if his eyesight was often lacking.

The women were interesting to him. They talked a lot, but it was usually about inane things. Small talk that was meant to make the trip more bearable. The girls were clearly plotting something, while the maiden (Amber, he learned her name was) was aware of what was happening behind her back.

It was all that Tyrian needed.

On his third night of tracking them, Cinder walked far from the camp and waited by a river.

Tyrian looked down at her from the perch in the tree that he had decided to take.

She noticed him and smiled as she looked him in the eye, eye blazing as ever.

Slowly, Tyrian dropped down into the place beside her and as silently as possible. He crouched and slipped back towards the bushes. He didn't really think that he and Cinder were being watched, but he needed to be sure.

"They're getting impatient." Tyrian murmured, keeping his voice down so that only he and Cinder would be able to hear it. "I hope that you two are prepared to- heh, _mobilize_."

"Tomorrow morning." Cinder said, keeping her voice quiet. "The map that Amber has places us reaching a branch in the road. We'll be heading towards Haven."

"Good." Tyrian replied, grinning wide and devious. "You shouldn't make us wait, dear Ember."

With that, he slipped away and left Cinder to her own devices. Tyrian sprinted back to the camp, alerted Watts and Hazel, and then the three of them that were left picked up their pace. What they knew said that they would be able to cut the girls off at a break in the path.

Between the three of them, Tyrian was confident in their abilities.

By morning they had found their place, all three of them ready to lie in wait for what was to come. Tyrian couldn't stop twitching and flicking his tail anxiously as he crouched in the bushes, eyes on the road and hands pressed to the ground. All that he needed was to be able to feel for the girls as they came.

That was all.

That was all he would ever need.

This would bring them closer to their goals.

Watts was planning something, but Tyrian didn't know what. It seemed that Hazel was preparing to attack this in his own ways as well, but that was a little more-

Hazel was definitely up to something, but Tyrian wasn't exactly confident that _helping_ was in his plans. Hazel carried his hesitance too obviously on his shoulders.

Hours into their watch, there was the feeling of the vibrations, running through the ground. Tyrian's eyes widened and he arched his tail over his head. It was almost time and he needed to be ready for what was to come.

The women were talking.

Emerald seemed to put on a look of shock and broke forward into a sprint, towards a bush near where Watts was hiding. The man was sitting up in the tree, and went silent with a slight movement of his hand which meant to tell them to do the same and lay low.

"Raleigh!" Emerald cried, putting on a clear look of despair and upset. "Cinder, he's-"

"No." Cinder said, playing along.

Amber stood by the horse and pat its neck gently before walking forward to join them. Whatever she was seeing, Tyrian didn't know what it was. And he didn't want to know, not really.

The three of them talked, waiting for a clear sign.

It came when Cinder slipped back just slightly and looked back over her shoulder, locking eyes with Watts.

Tyrian prepared to sprint, but was stopped by the sight of a bolt of ice dust rushing in the Fall Maiden's direction, from the shadows and from Hazel's direction.

It hit the ground at her feet, spreading out towards her and wrapping around her feet and freezing her in place.

"What-" Amber reacted immediately, removing her own weapon from her back. "Cinder, Emerald, help!"

"We're good." Cinder said, her voice going cold all at once as she stood up properly with her head up high. "Boys."

That was all the sign that they needed. Emerald slipped back into the bushes, breaking into a sprint to place herself at a distance to their target.

Cinder didn't even move.

Tyrian raced out of the bushes, so fast that he didn't know that the girl would even be able to see her coming. He launched his entire body at Amber, weapons out and his tail wrapped around his stomach so that he could hold that particular detail in his pocket for a bit.

He threw her off balance, which created just enough of an opening for Cinder to mobilize.

She snapped her weapons off of her back and rushed Amber, her aim steady as she slashed at the woman.

Amber pushed herself back and landed on her feet, suddenly realizing that she was completely surrounded. She let the staff spin, flames and ice hurling off of the spearheads at the end which were clearly cut from sharpened crystals of Dust.

"What is this?" The maiden cried, her voice completely raw and hoarse from the stress that was happening. "What are you doing?"

"We need something from you, Amber." Cinder said, standing up tall. "And you are going to give it to us."

"What about your teammates?" She cried. "Was that all a lie?"

Cinder seemed to hesitate just a moment, looking to Tyrian and then to the trees, her expression bored. "Obviously."

Amber let out a yell, and she waved her weapon as much as she could, trying to send a burst of fire in the direction of Cinder.

Before she could finish through the motions, Tyrian watched as a chain wrapped around the woman's weapon, punctuated by Emerald's scythe. The weapon was pulled back roughly with one pull from Emerald. It slammed straight into Amber's sternum while Cinder approached, preparing to do _something_.

Tyrian slipped into place behind Amber, trapping her staff in the curve of his own weapons and tugging back, making sure that she would have no chance to escape. Emerald approached to remove her own chain and walk up beside Cinder, locking her eyes with the Maiden's.

Emerald seemed to focus, and Amber looked around in confusion for something which wasn't there, while Cinder drew her weapon.

Amber screamed, her voice too loud and Tyrian felt more than saw the burst of something that threw him back, his grip on the woman's weapon failing as well.

He wasn't the only one, as large swirls and gusts of wind began to whorl around the maiden, pulling her away from them and up towards the sky, her arms stretched out at her sides and something akin to flames appearing from her eyes.

Tyrian couldn't help but look at her in awe, because this was the true power of a Maiden. This is what they had been seeking for so long, and now that they had finally found it-

Well, Tyrian knew his job.

It felt almost as though nature itself was turning against them. The woman raised a hand over her head and the winds became more and more intense, ripping the leaves off of the trees around them and making them too join the tornado that had formed around the woman.

"Stop her!" Watts' voice came from the trees, sounding almost panicked now that his cover had been torn away from the others. He was standing up, preparing for something, while Hazel-

Hazel's cover had been stripped away as well, and the man walked out into the clearing that had been created. He wasn't armed and didn't seem prepared for a fight himself.

The woman stared at him and she stopped moving, whatever strike she had been preparing for clearly paused in mid-motion. Her expression twisted into a snarl before she threw her hand down, and those leaves that she had taken control of began to change, turning to icy shards in midair and then flying in the directions of each and every one of them.

Knowing that he had no time to avoid this, Tyrian broke into a sprint, because he needed to get away before he got hit. While he ran he raised his arms and began to fire burst after burst of bullets at the maiden, but it seemed like most were simply directed away from her.

Hazel didn't budge, raising his arms to try and protect himself while the iced over leaves cut into his aura but never went through. Watts decided to take cover just behind Hazel, crouching low to the ground in clear preparation for his own attacks.

Tyrian skidded into place alongside his teammates, stopping only because he was running out of bullets and needed to reload badly. He was breathing hard and he could feel his muscles locking up underneath him.

He glanced past Hazel and realized that the three of them were going undisturbed, Amber's attacks all too clearly directed at something which wasn't even there. Emerald was keeping a safe distance from the rest of them, while Cinder-

Cinder had taken her place in the treetops, already having knocked an arrow. Tyrian realized then what she was planning to do, and he prepared to run. Someone was probably going to need to be on the ground to restrain the woman if this went well.

Besides, Tyrian was having serious doubts that Hazel would do it, when he was the one among them that had the most muscle and was the most capable of handling such a dangerous opponent. Watts' greatest strength was his mind, and Emerald-

Well, it seemed for the best that nobody try to interrupt her actions.

The arrow set into flight, and Tyrian broke into a sprint towards the woman, needing to get there before she could either fall or catch herself. He needed to beat her to the end, before anyone else could get in the way first.

It made impact, slamming into the Maiden's chest and Tyrian heard more than saw the way that the tornado that had began to swirl around her cut out. The silence spoke for itself, only to be punctuated by a choked out cry that the woman had let out, like she was struggling to move air from her lungs..

"Move!" Watts screeched, and with that Tyrian used his tail to help to launch himself off the ground and slammed into the woman's body before dragging her down alongside him. He wrapped his entire body around the Maiden, and he could feel the heat of her body- she was trying to use her power to hurt him.

Tyrian merely grit his teeth and let his venom begin to flow through him before striking her in the back of the leg with his stinger. He kept the dose of venom that Amber got controlled, the type that would only be able to paralyze her. The way that she squirmed would only make it worse- it would only force it through her veins faster and faster.

The others began to gather around the two of them, while the woman began to twitch. Watts looked down at her and then checked something on his watch, while Hazel kept a distance between himself and the rest of them. Emerald and Cinder looked at each other, silently communicating, and Tyrian watched as Emerald approached him and the Maiden.

"Sit her up." Emerald commanded. Tyrian grit his teeth and did as he was told, making sure to stay behind her and keep her legs pinned in place so that she couldn't react.

The woman walked around his side, and Tyrian watched as her hands slid into Amber's soft brown hair to hold her head in place, her fingers rested on the woman's temples.

"What-" The Fall Maiden tried to choke her words out, eyes wide and her entire body trembling. "What is-"

"I'm sorry, Amber." Emerald said, keeping her voice even before she closed her eyes.

All of them stayed there, and Tyrian watched as Cinder drew another arrow, focusing this one on the center of Amber's chest and pulling it back as far as she could manage. There was the silence before it fired, and the woman cried out in pain again.

Tyrian felt her body lock up, and slowly began to release Amber's arms and give her a little bit more room. Emerald didn't move, and Watts just watched his watch the entire time, smirking behind his mustache.

Cinder's expression began to shift into a sly smile, the most obvious sign that she had gotten exactly what she wanted.

Amber grit her teeth, before letting out a loud scream and a burst of fire, or electricity, or raw nature itself lashed out around her entire body, sweeping through rows of enemies that weren't truly there. She hit Cinder, and Tyrian watched as the wooden parts of the woman's bow burned away into absolutely nothing.

"What the-" Cinder reacted quickly, gripping onto what was left as it burned away in her hands before slashing at Amber, one of her blade's slicing through the woman's face while the other one stabbed into her chest, too violently and too viciously.

Tyrian stood upright and watched as something changed, and the world around them felt like it was beginning to distort and shift around them. He felt like everything was spinning, like the golden glow that was raising into the sky was something that wasn't really there.

It lingered there for a moment, above Amber before shooting into motion and slamming into Cinder's chest. The woman took a few steps backwards, stumbling and falling to her knees, hunched over and exhausted as something unnatural happened to her.

Cinder kept her head down for some time, but when she picked her head back up, she smiled.

Fire billowed from her left eye and lit their Goddess' crest from within it.

* * *

Weiss did what she could to keep pace both with everyone else on her team, but with Doctor Oobleck. He was much faster than she had originally thought, and so far the only ones that had managed to keep pace with him were Ruby, Blake, and Pyrrha.

That left Weiss and the rest of them mostly evenly matched, all worried about what was going to come.

"Children!" Doctor Oobleck called back to them, raising his voice enough to make sure that they were going to be able to know what was happening. "I do hope that you are all prepared for what is to come!"

"It would help if we knew what we were looking for." Yang responded, just at Weiss' side. "Because right now I'm not really sure what you're planning for."

"As of right now," Oobleck explained as he skidded to a stop not too far away from the pool of blackness that their team had found before. He took a quick look around and waved a hand, signaling for the rest of them to fall into position as a perimeter of sorts. "We don't know what we are looking for. "

"Then we're looking for trouble." Jaune panted, holding his sword and shield in preparation for whatever was to come. "I really don't like the sound of that."

"And you shouldn't." Oobleck said calmly. He looked up to the sky, checking for something that Weiss looked for as well. All that she saw was the giant grimm overhead, moving faster and faster as it chased something. "Because as things are, you don't know what there is to look forward to."

"So we're..." Weiss looked over at Oobleck, feeling more nervous than she had earlier. "Are we waiting?"

"The current situation is that you are here to contain an additional threat in the event that more grimm arise." Oobeck explained, turning away from the pool now so that he could look down at it. "I know that it is not an ideal situation, but you have been selected for this because you are the best suited for it, despite your level of experience."

Weiss glanced back over her shoulder at the pool for herself. It was laying there, mostly undisturbed and without any sign that something was going to happen to it. "What happens if that thing gets closer?"

"As of right now-" Doctor Oobleck started, looking among all of them. "There is a team of Hunters that have been tasked with distracting it away from the city. As things stand, we cannot rely on that possibility. If it comes your way, then I am here to aid you in dealing with it."

"But..." Nora spoke up, looking back at the pool and gripping her hammer a little bit tighter. "We can't handle something like that. We could barely beat a Deathstalker between all of us."

"Yes." Doctor Oobleck said, glancing back up at the sky. "And that is a problem which we are well aware of. Should it come to that, you all are likely to be kept away from the main event. I do not intend on risking your lives like that. You may be able to aid, but it will be done at a range."

"What happens if that doesn't work?" Blake asked now, her eyes narrowed.

"That is something we will have to figure out when we come to it."

Weiss nodded, but she wasn't even close to happy about that specific idea. She couldn't pretend like the plan was guaranteed to go well for them, regardless of whether they have Oobleck there to help them out. She looked down at her sword, and felt more than glad that its weight was so familiar.

Off in the distance, she heard the sound of a gunshot. It startled Weiss just slightly, making her jump in the position that she'd taken. She looked to Oobleck, feeling at least a little bit panicked by what she had just heard. "Sir?"

"That would be one of our Hunters fighting the grimm." Oobleck said calmly, obviously trying to reassure their team. "I figure that it may be better if we all try what we can to be able to distract ourselves. After all, negative emotions are only likely to stir up some problems for us."

"What are you suggesting, then?" Yang asked, and Weiss could hear the obvious irritation in her voice. "Because if we don't know what we're going to deal with-"

"Do any of you know the prevalence of known spawning sites surrounding Vale twenty years ago?" Oobleck ran ahead with the conversation, and Weiss was a bit surprised by it. It definitely wasn't something that any of them had learned in their classes, and definitely not from him. Their silence spoke for them, so Oobleck continued.

"As I expected. Before the disappearance of the pools years ago, there were a counted four pools in the miles surrounding Vale which hadn't been possible to eliminate. The other kingdoms also kept their own numbers with regards to this issue. Further away from each of the kingdoms there were more of course, but-" He paused, looking up at the monster again. "That doesn't seem to matter so much."

Blake was looking at the ground, her hands clenched into fists at her sides in frustration. "I heard once about one that used to be so big that it was nearly a sea."

Weiss snapped her head over to Blake, because that was something that she had never heard before. That seemed like the sort of thing that would have been well known about, or at least heavily discussed. So how had she never heard anything about it?

"That was a well-known story." Doctor Oobleck sighed. "And also one that wasn't entirely without merit, even if it's one that's rare in the Kingdoms. Regardless-"

The gigantic grimm roared. Oobleck looked over in its direction again, and Weiss followed his gaze. Far off from them, there was the black dots of two birds flying near the grimm, darting in and out of range of it. The monster was moving off away from the city, but it was going slow.

"Should we go and help?" Ruby asked, her eyes wide and her voice scared. She was watching the birds as well. "Do you think that they might-"

Oobleck was hesitant. He turned to face the pool again and reached down into one of his pockets in search of something. Weiss stood back and watched as a frown stretched across his face. He swallowed hard before looking to Weiss directly. "Miss Schnee?" He asked, his voice almost wavering with the question. "Do you think that you may have some Dust Crystals on you?"

Weiss blinked and looked down at her sword, then reached for her pack. "I mainly use the powdered form, Doctor." Weiss explained as she removed a small bottle. "Would that work?"

"I'm afraid not. this is a matter of nature. Processed Dust is unlikely to do the job."

Weiss offered the little bottle anyways. Oobleck approached her and reached out for it, taking it in his hand and turning it so that he could see the label. Weiss didn't know what he was looking for on it specifically, but Oobleck seemed interested at the very least. He took a breath and pick his head up.

Their eyes almost met, but the glare on his glasses stopped it.

"I will make an attempt to use this, if you are quite alright with that." Oobleck offered. "I am sure that you will be able to understand."

"It's fine." Weiss said, but she was already running through a number of possibilities in her head for what this could mess up. She didn't think that she was going to be needing Wind dust that night, at the very least. It was the best when she was faced with projectiles, and the Grimm didn't seem to have any. If she felt otherwise, she wouldn't have made the offer.

Oobleck smiled and stood up tall before walking towards the pool. He took a breath and raised his voice, just enough to make sure that he caught the attention of everyone that had gathered there. "I think that it may be beneficial for all of you to watch this-" He uncapped the bottle and poured a little bit of the Dust out into his hand, as careful as surgery.

"What... are we supposed to be looking for?" Ren spoke up, approaching but keeping his distance because he was obviously wary about the things that could have gone wrong. "Because I don't really understand what you are about to do."

Oobleck took a breath before launching into yet another one of his lectures. "In the past, Huntsmen have been able to observe certain reactions and phenomena with regards to grimm and the fonts that they appear from. One of which was related to Dust. Traditionally, a test to check whether or not one of these sites was-" He whirled around in one easy motion, staring out at the pool that was in front of them. " _Active_ was to see whether or not any Dust on your person was reacting to it. Usually nothing would come from the processed forms, but Dust that seemed to disturb the pools was well-documented."

Weiss blinked, because that seemed like it should have been something that she had known. But she didn't know that was right, because there was something so obviously wrong about it. She thought back to Atlas, and to her father, and everything that she knew about her family's company.

They had once thrived because they had access to Dust and were able to control the markets for it. But it was a resource that was beginning to get difficult to get, and if it was a way to check for whether or not Grimm were going to appear-

Suddenly the scarcity felt more terrifying than ever before.

She looked down at Myrtenaster, sitting in her hand and a little too heavy. The little cartridges of powdered Dust were all there, but there weren't any sign of change. They were just... there. Exactly as they had been when she had loaded the weapon before they'd left for this mission in the first place.

"So what do you have to do?" Weiss asked, looking up at Doctor Oobleck directly.

Oobleck crouched down. Weiss and just about everyone else there craned their necks to see what was happening, and they watched as the colored powder fell into the black waters.

All at once, the entire space around them seemed to go silent and all that Weiss could really focus on was the suffocating blackness in front of them. The Dust disappeared, and the pool didn't react. It laid there, dormant and quiet, but then moments later, almost like the entire world had been placed on a time delay, it moved.

The waters shifted and swirled sickeningly. They rippled inwards, like something was drawing them in and Weiss couldn't help it- she took two steps back and raised Myrtenaster, prepared for a fight because there was absolutely no way in which this could have been a good thing. All that it could have possibly meant was trouble, and that wasn't what Weiss wanted.

She wasn't the only one feeling that way. Before she even realized it, she had Ruby and Blake, both at her sides and both equally prepared for a fight. Jaune shouted an order to his team, and on the other side of the pond they fell into place as well, all in a row and all holding their weapons tight.

The one exception was Ren, who was crouching down to the ground with his hand ready to be placed there.

Oobleck hesitated and held his weapon tight and close to him as well, but his attention wasn't exactly placed on the pool.

In the distance, the giant grimm roared, its face turning towards them and its eyes lighting up into an even brighter shade of red.

"Oh dear." Oobleck mumbled. "Students, you should prepare for a fight. I believe... that thing may be coming our way."


	44. Headshot

One of the first and most quickly understood things about their current predicament was that should things go wrong, there would be no chance for any of them to run

With the behemoth of a monster coming, and with the length of its legs, the relative distance between them and the monster wasn't all that much. How much time they had before it was on top of them, Ruby couldn't guess. The eight man team had all but scattered to the trees, many of them hoping to try and find a good place to sit and wait, while Oobleck stood by the spawning pool, steady and resolute.

In Ruby's case, she sat up in one of the tallest trees that she'd been able to. She wasn't the only one there, because Weiss had decided to perch just below where she had. Ruby had the higher ground, which was better because she could snipe with Crescent Rose, but having Weiss close was a comfort of sorts in itself.

For several minutes, she and Weiss had decided to trade strategies in the hopes of finding the perfect way to combat the grimm. Ruby wished that they could have gotten those ideas to the others quickly, but it didn't feel like they had the time to do so.

No matter what, the grimm was coming. Leaving their posts was dangerous.

It was getting closer and closer. Ruby could hear the grimm crashing through the trees, stomp after stomp, after heavy stomp.

As it approached, there were the sounds of gunshots and shouting getting closer and closer which came along with the sounds of the grimm's footfalls. They were the sounds of hunters, barking orders at each other and trying to coordinate whatever attacks they could in the hopes of slowing the beast down before it could do too much damage.

There were three hunters that Ruby could see, leaving streaks of color behind them as they moved and struck. Their voices were mostly familiar.

The first two voices Ruby recognized as being her father and Qrow's. Her heart beat harder and harder and harder as they got closer because her family was out there, and they were in trouble.

The third voice was a woman's, too volatile and vicious. Wholly unfamiliar.

"Students!" Oobleck shouted, lowering himself down into position to move. "When it begins to breach the clearing, open fire!"

The grimm's face was right there, hundreds of feet in the air and staring them down. Ruby looked up at it with her eyes wide open.

In truth, Ruby had never realized just how terrifying that specific grimm was since she'd been viewing it almost exclusively from a distance. Its fur was black and hung off of its frame like tattered carpet, shaggy and dark, swaying and hanging like seaweed. The eyes, bright red with burning gold pupils, bone-white teeth raising from its mouth and its snout protruding in a permanent snarl.

Ruby swallowed hard and braced herself among the treetops that she had decided to make herself at home in. She had Crescent Rose, and she had Weiss, and their friends were still there, preparing the same way that the two of them were.

Ruby could trust Weiss, but she couldn't trust that she could only rely on Weiss in such a large battle.

"Weiss-" Ruby whispered to her partner. "Set up a glyph. I have an idea."

Weiss looked up at her, looking just as exhausted and unsure as Ruby felt. She nodded and held out her sword, still keeping herself well grounded up in the treetops. "Where do you want it?"

"In front of my rifle." Ruby said, blinking up at Weiss. "If you can get it so that when I fire the Dust will-"

 _"Got it."_ Weiss replied, her brow furrowing down into a deathly serious expression. It took only a single swing of her sword. Sure enough the glyph appeared there in front of Ruby's gun, spinning slowly in soft white auric light. Ruby swallowed and put her finger on the trigger. All that she needed was for the attack to work. If it worked, then she had absolutely no idea what was going to come next, but it would have been _something._

What came next would probably depend largely upon what their teammates did. Ruby was sure that she wasn't going to be the only one getting ready to fight immediately. In fact, when she looked over to the tree where Nora was sitting and Ren was at the ground, hand pressed to both the tree and to the ground, she saw that Nora was already prepared to fire herself.

"Are you ready?" Weiss asked, sounding just as afraid.

"Yeah." Ruby whispered back, jolting slightly at the sound of a spray of bullets that went off. "I think so."

"It's here." Oobleck shouted into the clearing behind him. "Students, you may need to hit it with everything you've got."

"Right!" Ruby shouted back before pulling the trigger and watching as a bullet went through the glyph and turned into a bolt of bright icy white and blue.

Ruby watched as her and Weiss' combined work flew through the air and struck the giant grimm's right leg. It bloomed into a formation of ice that twisted into something that almost looked like a flower. The monster let out a roar, and Ruby did what she could to stay still and prepare to do more.

"Hold it!" Ruby called down to Weiss, who just nodded, still primed for something else. She fired three more shots, all of which flew out and created more blooms of ice onto the beast's leg. At the very least it was going to be able to slow it down, not that Ruby thought that it was going to last all that long. Dust created effects didn't always last as long as the real thing did.

A barrage of grenades with pink streams of smoke came out of the trees from where Nora was, falling into the shape of a giant heart that hit the beast in the chest. It roared and staggered back for a moment, and Ruby felt her heart beating harder and harder in her chest.

For the first time, the realization of just how dangerous this was going to end up being. If they made the beast fall in the wrong direction, then it was too likely that someone was going to get hurt- if it went _really_ wrong, then it would fall in the direction of Vale itself.

"Nora!" Jaune shouted, leaping down from a tree and landing on the ground below it before sprinting to Ren's side. He reached out and placed a hand on Ren's shoulder and looked up into the tree. "Get ready to do that again!"

"Got it!" Nora shouted back, clearly already in the process of reloading.

Oobleck held his head up high like he was looking out for someone. Out in the distance, Ruby saw a flash of gold, small and strong. It struck into the beast before launching back out, and she could see a streak of red- Qrow's cape flying through the air and trying to strike into the monster's shoulder.

There was a streak of red that Ruby couldn't identify that disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared.

"What do we do?" Ruby shouted down to Oobleck, since she wasn't sure that what they were doing was working that well.

"It is hard to say." Oobleck said, swinging his weapon to send a torrent of fire towards the grimm. Weiss reacted, holding her head up high and her eyes widening.

She looked back over her shoulder at Ruby. "Can you keep doing what you're doing?"

"Not without you!" Ruby cried, gripping on tight to Crescent Rose. Weiss sighed and nodded for Ruby to come down with her before leaping down and sprinting towards Oobleck. Ruby activated her semblance and flew after.

Out of the trees came Blake and Yang as well, but the two of them didn't seem to be too sure about what they could actually do.

"I have an idea." Weiss said, her voice and her expression both deadly serious. "You have a flamethrower."

"I do." Oobleck replied, raising an eyebrow. "It would do to tell everyone else what your idea is though, Miss Schnee."

Weiss held her sword out and turned the revolving chamber until there was a cartridge of light green Dust selected. "I have Wind Dust." Weiss said, seriously. "If you can fire through my glyph-"

"What about the rest of us?" Yang asked, already nervous but not quite angry just yet. "Because I can't do anything without getting close."

"You would not be the only one with that problem, Miss Xiao Long." Doctor Oobleck said almost too calmly, like that would be able to fix all of their problems. "You may not be well suited for such high-flying feats as are happening. However, it may be beneficial to wait."

"Wait." Yang repeated, and Ruby felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. It only took a moment before Yang was looking over at Weiss directly, clearly interested in seeing what she could do. "Do you think that you could try and launch me in?"

Weiss blinked, like she wasn't sure that she actually had all that much to offer to the battle. Almost like she had a limited arsenal of Dust and only so many chances to use each type before she ran out. Or perhaps she was worried about how volatile Dust could be. Either way, Ruby didn't know what was going on in her partner's head.

"I have an idea." Ruby said, smirking. "What if we-" She turned to look back at the grimm that looming there far too close to them. "What if we do the fire first and then try to launch the rest of us in?"

Blake shrugged, and she looked down at her weapon. All at once, Ruby watched her expression change and her eyes widen in understanding. "If you can get me in there, I think that I might be able to cling on."

"You're sure?" Yang asked, locking her eyes with Blake's now. "That sounds pretty risky."

"It gets us in there, doesn't it?"

Ruby hesitated and looked over at Weiss, hopeful that Weiss would say something to her that would actually be useful to the team. There was a moment worth of hesitation before Weiss spoke up, giving what she can.

"You guys don't realize-" She started, sounding unsure of herself. "I can't use my semblance as much as you might think. I can try and get the rest of you in, but-"

"But if you do then we might not have as much to work with later?" Yang asked, her brow furrowing. "What do you think your limit would be?"

Weiss took a deep breath, looking back down at Myrtenaster. "I can maintain a few more glyphs to fire through, and maybe a few launching pads. But beyond that I'm not so sure. I want to be able to catch you if I need to."

"We'll figure it out." Ruby said, forcing on a smile and standing up tall. "I think that we should do your plan first though."

Weiss nodded before looking back to Oobleck. The professor fell into a combat stance, his weapon at his side and prepared to be used. "I would recommend that you prepare for what is to come, MIss Schnee."

"Right." Weiss said, keeping her voice steady. The glyph appeared, turning slowly and she looked back over at Oobleck. "I'm ready."

"Miss Rose-" Oobleck said. "I think that it may be beneficial for you to join into this as well."

"Got it." Ruby slipped into the space beside Weiss and let Crescent Rose rest there, blade resting against the ground so that she can use it to maintain balance. She waited quietly for a sign that it was time to move, and when Oobleck sent the first ball of flames through the glyph, which launched forward much faster than Ruby had been expecting.

Maybe if she was smart about this-

When Oobleck acted again, Ruby fired, and she watched as the bullet met with flame before launching forward much faster than anything else that had been able to. Weiss stood there, solid and strong.

"Blake!" Yang shouted off to the side. "C'mon, let's go!"

The two of them began to sprint at the grimm, making sure to put some space between them and the many projectiles that were heading towards the Grimm for their own sakes.

Ruby made sure to take care to not end up shooting her teammates, and looked over at Weiss. "We should join them."

"Are you sure?" Weiss asked, sounding more than just a little bit unsure of that plan. "Because that sounds like it could seriously backfire on us."

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as JNPR fell into formation, moving as a team with Pyrrha and Ren taking the lead. That was what they needed to do, and that was something that Ruby definitely believed. "They're going to need us."

"But what about-"

"You two should go and fight alongside your teammates." Oobleck said, with eerie calm. "I would not blame you."

Weiss nodded and looked over at Ruby, and that was all that they needed before they were up there at the front of the charge, not far behind Yang and Blake. Even with them running towards the fight, Ruby could hear Blake and Yang shouting strategies to each other, both looking for possibilities for what they were meant to do.

They caught up.

"Yang!" Ruby called to her sister, who just let their eyes lock. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Sure am!" Yang answered, sounding too confident and too ready. Not far off in the distance was one of the feet of the grimm. All that they had to do was get there, and then after that-

Ruby was sure that they might be able to at least manage to get something done. That didn't seem like it would have been too ambitious.

Before they could get any closer, a blur of gold crashed down in front of them, its owner landing on his feet with gritted teeth and looking a little bit banged up. He stood up tall and looked back at the rest of them over his shoulder.

"What are you doing here?"

"We're here to fight, dad." Yang responded, her eyes sparking up in bright red for a moment. "And we can't really do that unless you let us."

He seemed to hesitate a moment, looking back to the beast. Ruby had to wonder just how long he'd been facing off against the grimm himself, and she had to wonder even more whether or not she wanted to know the answer to that question. But Ruby watched him take in a deep breath.

"Alright." He muttered. "But you four better try and keep safe."

"That's the plan." Ruby smiled up at her father, hopeful that she would see some sign that he was relaxing, but instead saw nothing. He stood there more stony faced than she had ever seen him. Taiyang shook his head and braced himself against the ground, readying for a mighty leap.

"You four have to promise me one thing-" Taiyang grumbled, his head tilted down in something close to anger. "If someone tells you to get out of the way, you are going to do it. No ifs or buts about it, got it?"

"Got it." Yang muttered, and Ruby watched her take a step forward and drop into a fighting stance, similar to their fathers, hands held up in front of her and ready for a fistfight, square and low to the ground.

"That's all I can hope for." Tai muttered before throwing himself into the air, and Yang launched herself not far after him, using Ember Celica to propel herself forward, faster, and faster.

"Blake-" Ruby looked over at her teammate, an idea already going through her head. "Do you think that you could get all three of us up there?"

Blake blinked and her brow furrowed, deep in concentration. "You two will have to help me."

Weiss smiled softly. "I think we can do that."

Ruby looked down at the ground under her feet. She thought that she could do something to be useful, at the very least she could believe in her semblance. It would probably require for her to put a lot of energy into one burst of speed, but she could manage it.

Sure enough, a glyph appeared underneath the two of them, and Weiss stood back away from it.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked, looking back at her teammate.

Weiss took a breath. "I don't know how much use I can be up close like this."

"You should come with us anyways." Blake suggested, changing the form on her weapon. She weighed it in her hands before locking eyes with Weiss. "But there might be a better way to do this."

"Like?"

Ruby's eyes widened when she got the idea.

"Do you guys think we can pull off a slingshot?'

"A slingshot?" Weiss responded, her brow furrowing. "You can't be serious."

"It could work!"

"It would be easier with a fourth person here." Blake stated with a sigh, testing the strength of her ribbon. "But I think Ruby might be onto something."

"And us?"

"We can figure it out."

Ruby looked between the two of them and watched as Weiss relented. She flicked her fingers, and the glyph moved so that it was lying vertically as opposed to horizontally.

Blake passed the ribbon off to her, and Ruby wrapped it around her waist, but not all the way. Blake took a breath and walked forward, as far as she could manage while putting the space between the two of them.

Weiss thought and Ruby saw a second glyph appear on the ribbon, tugging it away from her while still being behind her back. It was pulled taut, and with that, Ruby knew that it was going to be time. Blake and Weiss were going to be able to get involved for themselves, but for the moment, this was going to be about her.

In one motion, Ruby swang her weapon behind her. She could use the recoil to help push her along, that was all that needed to happen. "I'm ready."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Weiss answered, and Ruby felt herself get pulled back against the glyph, further and further back as the ribbon pulled tighter and tighter. When she saw Blake beginning to slide against the ground just slightly, that was when she was going to be able to do this.

"I am."

"Alright." Weiss breathed.

"Now!"

The glyph released, and Ruby realized for the first time just how much she had thrown herself into in that one motion. She hadn't thought about just how strong Weiss' Dust manipulation could actually be, and so when she was up in the air, Ruby threw herself into her semblance and felt the whirl of rose petals beginning to fly and cyclone around her as she moved towards the grimm.

In the air, Ruby flew higher, higher, higher.

She could feel her heart pounding hard in her chest, and the sound of her own blood was rushing in her ears.

For just a moment, Ruby could have sworn that she'd locked eyes with the grimm, and she had thought that she had seen something that was not truly there. Something terrifying and unimaginable.

It was a feeling that didn't last. Just as soon as it had been there it was gone, but it left Ruby with a strange throbbing feeling behind her eyes that she didn't know she was going to be able to ignore that easily. Not when she was meant to be in combat. She fired Crescent Rose twice to change her direction and flew towards the grimm's shoulder.

When Ruby landed there, she wasn't surprised at all to find that it felt unsteady, as large and wide as the space was. She ended up stabbing the sharpened tip of Crescent Rose into it so that she could at least hold onto herself there. It was something that could at least stop her from falling.

Whatever her teammates were doing down below, Ruby didn't know.

At the very least, she had a vantage point that she could use. It was a little bit higher up than she had realized, but it wasn't as though Ruby couldn't deal with it. Getting down was going to be a problem soon, but not for now.

A bird flew by followed quickly by a second one, both flying off in different directions.

Ruby watched for a second before thinking that she needed to come up with some sort of plan now that she was so high up in the air. She could try to hit it with bullets, since that was about the only thing she could really risk without running the possibility that she would fall and-

If she fell, Ruby couldn't be sure that her aura would be able to hold up through all of it.

As carefully as Ruby possibly could, she lowered herself down until she had three points of contact with the grimm's shoulder. The fur underneath her was a little bit looser than Ruby had thought, and slick almost like algae had formed there. Like the grimm had been wandering for eternities.

Even though Ruby knew that wasn't the case, it still seemed as such.

"Ruby!" Her uncle's voice broke through the buzzing in her head. "What do you think you're-"

"Fighting!" Ruby replied, angling herself and Crescent Rose. She aimed at the grimm's eye, wide and red and angry as it was. She didn't know that this was something that she would actually be able to pull off, but-

Ruby pulled the trigger, and felt the entire grimm's body lurch below her. She didn't know what that had come from, but on the other side, she could see Qrow resting on the Grimm's left shoulder. He was trying to catch his breath, but at least seemed to have the same idea as she did about what they were doing.

"That isn't going to do anything!" Qrow shouted to her, maintaining his balance with a bit more ease before shooting a torrent of shotgun shells at the Grimm's face. "All you're doing is annoying it!"

"Then what can I do?" Ruby shouted back. Qrow shook his head before launching himself up into the air so that he landed on the Grimm's head. He grabbed onto its fur with one hand before flinging himself over so that he was next to Ruby.

Qrow was a lot more beaten up than Ruby had thought.

"You need to keep a cool head." Qrow instructed through gritted teeth. "You get too risky up here, you hurt everyone else down there."

From where they were, everyone else and everything else looked like nothing more than slight blurs of color. They were too small, and too fragile. Ruby felt her eyes go wide at the realization because somehow she hadn't thought about that so much once she'd gotten up there. "I understand."

"You're better off down there with them." Qrow grunted, looking up to the skies again, his eyes tracking something. "But since you're already up here we might as well use it."

"So we should-"

"Try and land a hit in the eye, and work your way down. I know you can use recoil to move, so do that."

Ruby nodded and allowed herself to lift up Crescent Rose so that she could actually move. If she was going to have to move, then it was better that she didn't say grounded like she was. "You're sure this will work?"

"Sure am, kid."

Ruby dug her heels into the loose fur of the grimm and launched herself upwards, letting her semblance carry her higher and faster than she would have gone otherwise. Ruby aimed herself at the grimm's face, holding Crescent Rose behind her and pulling the trigger that would be enough to start the transformation sequence between the regular scythe and a war scythe.

With the blade straightened, Ruby knew that the weapon was going to be much more unwieldy, but it would be better for stabbing.

Ruby brought herself in dangerously close to the monster's face and aimed at the grimm, giving herself one final push to launch into it's right eye, stabbing into it.

Around her weapon, it began to smoke and the grimm let out a loud roar that was close to deafening.

She didn't have time. The grimm's mouth was wide and open, and the danger was clear. Ruby fired a gunshot and let the recoil carry her, changing the weapon back into a normal scythe was she fell down, down down, towards the ground.

As Ruby got closer and closer to the ground, she began to use Crescent Rose to control her decent before using her semblance to get her down to the ground in a flurry of red petals.

Where she landed, Ruby couldn't catch sight of her teammates. Blake, Weiss, and Yang had to be somewhere-

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sounds of the various members of team JNPR shouting. Ruby looked to the grimm and sprinted to them because if she didn't know where her teammates were, going out rogue to try and find them would probably only cause trouble.

Ruby skidded to a stop beside Jaune.

"Ruby!" He shouted, sounding a little bit panicked. "You're okay."

"Yeah." She stood a little bit shakily, wishing that she knew where everyone else was for the moment. "Where are my teammates?"

"They're on the other side." Jaune explained, blinking. "Going after the legs."

"Got it."

Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby caught the sight of Pyrrha and Nora setting up for something big. Ren was with them, placing his hands on the two of them. Whatever he was saying, he was managing to keep his voice down.

"C'mon." Jaune smiled at her and nodded towards his teammates. "We could probably use you."

Ruby nodded and trotted after Jaune until she met with the others.

Pyrrha looked over at her and smiled. "You're here."

"Yeah," Ruby confirmed, feeling rather awkward. "What are you doing?"

"Setting up for a big hit." Nora explained, grinning too wide.

"You should get involved." Pyrrha said, looking over at Nora. "I think that between the two of you-"

"Got it!" Ruby fell into place beside Nora and smiled when Ren gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder the same way that he had everyone else. She felt the calm that rushed over her, and looked up at the grimm. There was still smoke rushing out of its eye, from the damage that she had done.

It wasn't enough. It wasn't going to be enough.

"You two should work together." Jaune said, looking from Nora to Ruby. "If you can get you two there, then you'll get the big hit on the leg, and Pyrrha will reel you back in."

Pyrrha nodded, her eyes widening for a second as she threw her shield up into the air, trying to knock away a bit of rubble that had been going their way. When it came back she positioned herself at their front, with Jaune coming up on her side to do the same.

"You two need to hold onto your weapons tight." Pyrrha said, her voice eerily calm. "When you're back, we'll make more plans, but for now this is the best idea we have."

"What about everyone else?" Ruby asked, remembering what her uncle had just told her. "Because-"

"It shouldn't be enough to make it go down." Nora said. "I mean, I'm not charged up all the way, and you seem like you've done a lot too."

"Nora is right." Pyrrha said calmly. "But for now we all need to keep our heads together, and we need to be ready to do this."

"Got it."

Ruby dug her heels into the ground, and she and Nora wrapped their arms around each other. She just needed to get them moving. Nora seemed ready to help, if the way that she was angling Magnhild was any indication. With one strong push, Ruby launched the two of them into the air and held onto Nora as hard as she could.

They just needed to get to the kneecap. That was all that they needed.


	45. Ascend and Descend

Cinder felt _hot_.

It was a feeling that came with intensity that she hadn't been adequately prepared for. It burned under her skin and stretched out through her veins. It filled her up and hollowed her out until she was nothing but what she had just gained. There was a sense of satiation, even as she felt as though she starved for power.

It felt as though she was so strong all of a sudden, that she would burst. An attempt at using her semblance would be an explosion so strong that she didn't even know if she could survive it.

But, Cinder supposed in a way was she began to gather herself back to her feet, she had survived fire and had only come out singed. She had been chosen by Salem, after all.

She was-

A _maiden._

The others had decided to gather around her and watch her closely, but none said anything. Off to the side and behind all of them, Amber had gone limp and fallen to the ground, unbreathing and unmoving.

They'd won. The burning in her veins told her that it was _worth it._

"I suppose that crosses that particular item off the docket." Watts said, sounding sincerely bored. "Staying here for too long will only waste time. We should get moving. At least before someone finds us with the girl's body."

"Moving where?" Emerald asked, and Cinder felt a spike of something horrible at that. It wasn't quite rage, but something else entirely. Not quite hate, but hot frustration. "If this was what we were supposed to do-"

"No." Watts snapped at the girl. "We will be going. You have likely outlived your use."

"We don't know that for sure, Watts." And oh, how confident Cinder felt as she said those words out loud. She looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers and stretching them almost experimentally. "We may need her again."

Cinder looked from Emerald to the others, then down to Amber's body.

"We should move on, though. The last thing we need is to be seen with-"

She locked her eyes onto Hazel, who managed to look very unhappy with the current situation. Even if he said nothing and didn't hold himself as though he was preparing for a fight, it was obvious. Tangible, even. "Is there something that you need to say?"

Hazel shook his head in denial, but the way that he looked and the careful way that he pressed a hand to his chest said otherwise. Cinder didn't know what his problem had been lately. All that she knew was that she didn't like having him so distracted. Perhaps with them finally moving on from the current assignment, he would stop.

She rolled her eyes and began to lead the way down the road towards Mistral, calm and easy. There was no reason for them to break off in the other direction. Besides, going to Mistral might have been enough to give them a chance to rest and to recuperate. Perhaps it would also be a place where they could finally figure out where their plans were taking them next.

The others looked amongst each other and said nothing before following after Cinder.

For most of the trip to Mistral, nobody said so much as a word.

It was quite obvious that it was because nobody wanted to.

* * *

Ruby skidded in the dirt, almost trembling from exhaustion. No matter how much they fought and how much they did, it felt like nothing was happening. Like progress had stopped existing.

"Are you going to be okay?" Jaune shouted to her, rushing into a position in front of her and holding his shield up to protect the two of them. Ruby looked back up at the monster, and she was able to catch a burning gold flash of light that had to have been her sister. She needed to get back to her teammates.

"I don't know." Ruby mumbled, standing up tall. "Do you think that you have things handled?"

"We should." Jaune answered before looking across the area. "On the count of three, you make a break for it."

The two of them counted down and Ruby sprinted across the space, doing what she could go get to the next piece of cover, or someone else that could be of help.

She saw a bright white glyph appeared and felt some relief, because Weiss was going to be nearby if that was what she had found.

Ruby caught sight of Weiss, and landed at her side. "Weiss!"

"Ruby!" Weiss hissed back at her, having decided that she wanted to hide out of view. "Where have you been?"

"Got carried away." Ruby looked back up at the grimm, trying to figure out what they were meant to do next. "What are you doing?"

"Setting up."

Before Ruby could even ask, Yang was landing on the glyph, her hair on fire. As soon as she was somewhat grounded, Yang was reloading. Her eyes were blazing bright red. Semblance, no doubt active. It seemed like Yang and Weiss had worked out a system that worked for both of them to keep attacks moving.

"Ready!"

"Got it!" Weiss swang Myrtenaster with one fluid motion. The glyph that Yang stood on pulled back with Weiss' hand moving backwards before Weirss released it and Yang was rocketing off and up towards the monster.

Ruby looked up at it, reminded of what had gone wrong. No matter what, it didn't seem like they were doing enough. Maybe it was something that they truly couldn't do without the help of more trained people. Real hunts,en that were going to be able to actually put on the heavy damage that they needed.

It was impossible as things were.

"Weiss, get ready to send me up."

"Are you sure?" Weiss asked, locking their eyes. "Because-"

"Yeah." Ruby repeated the words. "I'm sure."

Weiss nodded, and Ruby watched as layer after layer of glyphs appeared, creating a springboard of sorts. Weiss looked like she was utterly exhausted, like she might have been pushing herself too hard to be able to perform.

"Go."

Ruby leapt forward, let her feet hit the glyphs, and launched upwards.

* * *

Yang punched the grimm as hard as she possibly could, and felt it try to move to hit her harder in return. She didn't have the space to maneuver out of the way. Yang grit her teeth, raised her arms in front of her, and braced for the impact.

At the very least, she could get stronger from this. Assuming that her aura didn't finally snap and leave her helpless.

In front of her, something changed though, a black and red swirl of energy forming out of nowhere before someone or some _thing_ flew out of it at top speed. Yang couldn't catch what it was just, but she couldn't have missed the streak of bright red and bone white. Like a grimm had come to aid for some reason.

The bright red slashed through the grimm's great clawed hand, before disappearing again into yet another portal. Out of view entirely. Yang tried to get a good look at it, but a proper view in the middle of battle eluded her.

The grimm roared and pulled back away Yang, but not enough to stop her from punching it so hard that she could have sworn that she heard something _crack_. Not that she knew what that would have been.

Somehow she managed to grab onto a length of fur and hold on for a moment. If she was going to be lodged there for a moment, Yang was going to keep on fighting. She drew back, and delivered punch, after punch, after punch.

For a second, she thought that she might have seen smoke.

* * *

Blake learned very early into the fight that there wasn't much that she thought she could do. She was able to blend into backgrounds, but being able to hear the things that were going on around her was useful. It helped her to know exactly where everyone on the battlefield was.

Getting to her current position had been a grueling ordeal. As things stood, she was up on top of the grimm's head, with the ribbon from Gambol Shroud wrapped up around one of the beast's horns. She wasn't going to fall, that was something that she felt confident in.

Mostly, she kept an eye open. If she could act by signaling opening to her teammates, then she was doing her job right.

From up where she was, everyone else managed to look like tiny dots dots and nothing else. All of them were brightly colored though, and that made it easier.

She needed to do something, but Blake didn't know _what_. It felt like she'd already managed everything that she could have done.

* * *

One of the things that Qrow hadn't quite prepared for going into this fight was just how old and even _sluggish_ he was going to end up feeling. It had been a long time since he'd last been involved in such high-risk combat. He must have lost the feel of it years before, because once it had felt effortless for him to participate in.

Apparently, that wasn't exactly the case anymore.

Not to mention that his new role in the fight was that he was trying to keep a group of kids from getting themselves hurt or _killed_. He had to give credit where it was due, though. They were all doing pretty well on their own. Well, they were doing as well as they could have, all things considered.

Qrow stretched his wings and circled over the grimm, looking for some sort of vantage point. Blake was lodged up by the beast's horns. That was something that he could have used, if not for the fact that the best tactic he could think of for something like that would have involved a beheading and his sister.

There were a lot of reasons _that_ wouldn't work. Too many of them to count, really.

A second bird fell into formation beside him, and Qrow tried his best not to concentrate on her. Raven could still pack a hell of a punch, but it seemed like something was off about her. He wasn't sure exactly what, though. Qrow locked an eye with her and let out a caw before moving straight into a divebomb, preparing to rip through his own muscle to become himself again and deliver a strike.

Raven understood, falling into a divebomb to do just the same as he had. She didn't need to do it this way, Qrow knew. But she was choosing to anyways.

Taiyang was fighting his way up the grimm's body, using its fur to fling himself higher and higher.

In the end, the tactic almost feels familiar.

Qrow dipped out of the grimm's line of sight and transformed, landing on the grimm's back and pointing Harbinger's tip down at it. He dug it in as best as he can, and let his legs carry him, opening up a long cut along the beast's spine.

"Qrow!" Tai shouted to him, having grabbed onto a long tuft of hair and using it to hold himself up. "Meet me up top!"

"Got it!" Qrow shouted in passing as he reached closer and closer to the monster's rear. He launched himself off with one clean motion and transformed so that he could fly back up towards the monster's head. Taiyang had an idea, and though they don't have Summer anymore, they could still work together and _try_.

Qrow reached his destination, turning into himself again just before Blake would be able to see. As himself once more, Qrow pulled himself up onto the grimm's head.

Blake looked over at him, her eyes wide. "What are you doing up here?"

"Fighting." Qrow responded, calmly. He grabbed onto the horn like Blake had, and felt the grimm shake its head in an attempt to get the two of them off. Blake didn't allow herself to budge, but Qrow had to do what he can to hold still. "What're you here for?"

"Not quite sure." Blake answered. "I think we wanted to try to garotte it."

"Sounds risky." Qrow grumbled, seeing a flash of gold up towards the top. He's expecting it to be Taiyang, but instead its his niece.

"Yang!" Blake greeted her teammate first. "What's the new plan?"

"I think Weiss is staying down on the ground." Yang answered, breathing hard. "Ruby was coming up I think."

"Got it."

"You two better figure out what the hell you're doing quick!" Qrow shouted at them, and relaxed if only very slightly when Taiyang finally bounded up to the top, looking a little bit more the worse for the way. "Because we're setting up for something."

"Yeah." Yang answered, bracing herself. "Right. Blake, we should-"

"Good idea."

Blake passed off the length of ribbon to Yang and the two of them split, with one at each side and holding the ribbon taut between the two of them.

Taiyang looked at it and grinned wide.

"Hey, Qrow-"

"You're thinking it too?"

"What?" Yang asked. "You two are totally going to steal our tactics, aren't you?"

"Nah." Taiyang shouted. "We could just use the boost."

Qrow swung Harbinger, and thrust its blade down into the grimm's head so that he couldn't lose his position. There was a barely controlled streak of red, which Qrow soon recognized as his other niece hurtling towards them. The girls prepared and braced themselves, and Qrow watched as Ruby landed on the ribbon which stretched before launching her back up into the air.

"Tai, now!" Qrow shouted, and he watched as Tai leapt off of the grimm's body and landed on the ribbon, leaping off of it to propel himself up high. He prepared to do the same. "You girls better have landing strategies prepared."

With that, Qrow launched himself upwards and tried to meet Tai in the air, transforming Harbinger into a scythe again in the process.

Tai caught him by the leg and held on tight.

They only had so much time. Qrow could only hope that luck was on his side.

* * *

Ruby kept as tight of a grip on Crescent Rose as she could possibly manage on her descent, twisting herself and firing the rifle to push her forward faster and faster. She almost laser focused in on what her target was, throwing her scythe out at her side and holding on tight.

She caught the grimm by the neck and fired over and over again, pushing her further and further against it. The blade began to slice into the grimm's neck, but not nearly doing enough to take the head off.

Up above, her father slammed down onto the grimm's head, her uncle's sword stabbing into the monster's forehead. She heard him shout for someone, and a portal appeared on the other side of the grimm's neck, a woman racing out and slicing through what was left of it before falling back out of sight behind another portal.

Ruby swallowed hard and looked to her teammates. Blake and Yang were still there up by the monster's head, but now that was falling and they needed to _move_. She looked back down to the ground and saw that the ones down there were already moving and running, trying to clear the space to avoid any of them getting injured.

She had to brace herself and fell down, down, down. As she got closer to the ground there was the cushioning of one of Weiss' glyphs slowing her down. With the control that she was able to use with Crescent Rose, Ruby was able to ensure that she landed cleanly and without too much injury.

Blake and Yang ended up in a nearby tree. Her dad ended up riding the monster's head down, and Qrow had disappeared into nowhere.

The group of all of them gathered there by the grimm. It wasn't dissipating as fast as Ruby had ever seen one turn to smoke before.

"It's... dead." Pyrrha said, sounding a bit surprised and more than tired. "What happened?"

"I don't know." Ruby mumbled, shaking her head. She looked over at Weiss and walked to her teammate. Blake and Yang joined them, and moments later the four of them were folding together into a warm hug. It was comforting.

They were allowed to rest for a few minutes, but before any of them got comfortable enough, Oobleck took the helm with the statement that while the threat may have appeared to be gone, their work was not over.

It was going to be a _very_ long night.

* * *

"Professor Ozpin."

Ozpin picked their head up and looked back over their shoulder to see that Ironwood had come to join them. He looked worried and tired, but he also wouldn't have rushed to visit them without a good reason for it.

"James." They greeted him. "Is something the matter?"

"I just received a report that it's fallen." James said, standing up tall and seeming to calm just as quickly. "There will still be more work to do, but for now-"

"The people of Vale will be able to rest." Ozpin said, feeling a certain sort of melancholy that threw them back to conversations from decades before. This was not the first time that they had seen something like this. "Thank you for reporting to me, General."

"You know that it's no problem." James said quietly. "The others should be staying out for the rest of the night." There was a long pause, like James almost needed to catch his breath. "I'll contact Winter to inform her and Glynda of the change in situation."

"Thank you." Ozpin said calmly. "I'm expecting that we'll be hearing from Taiyang and Qrow soon."

"I am too." James mumbled. "We'll recall the groups in the forest as soon as we can."

"Of course." Ozpin said calmly, but there was still more to this that neither of them seemed to want to touch. There were still other kingdoms which were going to need to be contacted, headmasters that were unaware of the situation in Vale.

It would be likely that passing on an update on Vale's condition would be of use. "I trust that you will be able to handle those arrangements?"

"Of course." James replied, still standing tall. "What will you do?"

"I..." Ozpin's voice trailed off for a moment. "I believe that I have things which I will need to check in on myself."

"The Relic?"

"Yes." Ozpin confirmed, frowning. "Although I'm afraid that reaching the vault will be-"

"If you're just looking to check that the vault is still secure, it should be enough." James mumbled. "Without Miss Rainart here..."

"It will remain closed." Ozpin confirmed, feeling a sinking feeling down in their stomach that they weren't going to be able to forget. It was yet another reminder of old sins, and of bonds which had broken years and years before. "I will do what I can to contact her come morning."

"Of course." James said, sounding not exactly pleased himself. "Do you want me to go to Atlas and do a similar check?"

"If you would not mind." Ozpin sighed. "I believe it would be of great use."

"I'll make the arrangements when the time comes." James said quietly. "Getting in contact with the Winter Maiden should be relatively easy."

Ozpin wanted to feel satisfied by that statement, but it wouldn't be enough to do the trick. They waited for James to leave, and when they were finally alone, Ozpin hesitated. There was too much that they were going to need to do, and a lot of possibilities for things that were going to come in the near future.

They were going to need to start by checking in on Vale itself. Once that was done, then they'd make contact with their various agents.

Until that time came, all that they could really do was wait.

* * *

They made it back to Beacon early in the morning, only once permission had been given for them to return. Weiss felt like she was lagging behind her teammates a little too much, and her body was going to drop any second. She'd almost assuredly overused her semblance that night. She wanted to sleep for at least a week, if the opportunity was given to her.

Among other things. Fighting giant grimm weren't high on her list of things to do. That didn't mean that she felt like she'd actually managed to get all of that much done in the fight itself. Throughout the whole thing, she'd lingered to the back of the fight. She'd provided support and took care of the others.

It made her question her work again. Whether or not she could _be_ a huntress like her sister, or like her mother once had been.

The other three went into the room first, all of them talking and some seeming more nervous than others.

"Weiss." A voice down the hall made Weiss pick her head up. She looked and saw that Winter was there, also looking worse for the wear and her hair having fallen loose. "Are you alright?"

"I am." Weiss mumbled, rubbing at her eyes. She wants to just go to bed and sleep forever. "Are you?"

"I am." Winter stepped in close to her and Weiss fell into the hug that was being offered immediately. Winter stroked her hand through Weiss' hair. "I heard that you did well out there."

"I..."

"You should be proud, Weiss." Winter said, taking a step or two away. "Going up against a monster of that size and being able to take it down is something to be proud of." She looked down at Weiss in a way that looked sad and apologetic. A way where Weiss wasn't going to be able to forget about it.

Weiss nodded. Blake was lingering by the door, giving her a weird look. "I'll be right in." Weiss reassured her teammate and was able to relax a little bit when the door closed. She looked back up at her older sister. "I don't feel like I did that much."

"That's fine." Winter offered, standing up tall. "You should still be proud."

Weiss nodded and furrowed her brow. "Winter, I don't..." She shook her head a little bit. "Should we be worrying about what's going to come next?"

"What do you mean?" Winter asked her, cocking her head to the side just slightly. "Because I'm not entirely sure what you're saying."

"You're only here because of that grimm, right?" Weiss locked her eyes with her sister's. "If it's gone, then you will have to go back to Atlas, won't you?"

Winter shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you right now, Weiss. I haven't been passed down any orders, and the ones that I do have have to be treated as though they're classified."

"I just don't want to lose you again."

"You won't." Winter reassured Weiss, but somehow it all just came up feeling empty and almost _meaningless_. "Trust me."

"Okay." Weiss whispered, forcing a smile up at her sibling. "I trust you."

"Get some rest, Weiss." Winter offered. "I'll let you know what's happening when I know. For now, I imagine you just want some sleep."

Weiss hugged Winter one last time and said a goodnight before stepping into the room and crawling into bed. The others hadn't even bothered getting out of their combat clothes. Weiss couldn't really blame any of them for that personally, since she felt just as tired.

She slept like a rock, dreaming of black wisps of smoke.


	46. That Which Is Not Their Own

Mistral had always been beautiful in the fall, even back in the earliest stretches of Hazel's memory He remembered being young, running through the forests with his sister as the leaves overhead turned to shades of orange and red. He remembered always coming home to a cabin in the woods.

When it had been time for him to start a family of his own, he'd returned to Mistral. He'd been happy, for a little while. Back before everything had burned apart.

Being happy then wasn't enough. It never had been.

Being happy _once_ didn't make up for the knowledge that he no longer had a family to call his own. Not a spouse, not a sister, not a daughter.

Only him.

He'd been struggling to not think about it too much or too hard. Thinking about it made things worse than they already were, made him feel like he was going to suffocate. He needed space that he couldn't get, or direction, or _something._

When he managed to sleep, Salem maintained a silence that she'd kept since—-

Since Amber.

He leaned on a balcony outside of the small apartment that Watts had rented for them to use. It would only be theirs for a little while, a month at the very most. A temporary living situation that gave the four of them just enough to ensure they had a place to stay. There being different rooms meant that he at least had the room to be able to _breathe_ for a minute.

"You know— " Watts said from behind him, apparently having decided that it was time for the two of them to talk anyways. "This moping really does not suit you. Not to mention that it's far from productive."

Hazel looked back over his shoulder at Watts and shrugged. There weren't words for what he was feeling or what he was experiencing. "Is there something you need?"

"I wished to check in." Watts muttered, closing the door behind him. Securing their privacy, in a way that felt unprecedented. "Seeing as you're the one that has been around for the while."

"Right." Hazel mumbled, trying not to think about anything they were doing too hard. He needed to pretend as though there hadn't been bloodshed. Like he wasn't hurt. His chest began to burn where his brand was. He tried not to reach up and rub at it in search of relief.

Watts leaned against the balcony beside him, bracing himself on the railing. "You knew the girl, didn't you?"

"Yes." Hazel confirmed. This was going to be something which Watts would use against him later. That didn't mean that he didn't need to be able to talk about what he was going through. "I did."

"I figured." Watts reached down into his pocket, just in the peripheral of Hazel's vision. He removed his scroll and opened something on it. "One Amber Rainart. Lovely name, I must say. Considering."

"Her mother chose it."

"Then that answers that question." Watts replied, reading whatever he'd brought up. When Hazel looked over properly, he found that the man had gotten a dossier of names somewhere. Watts offered Hazel the scroll and Hazel had to hesitate.

It probably contained the answers to things that he didn't want to know about.

But at the same time-

Hazel reached over and took the scroll out of Watts' hand, turning it towards himself. It was a hunter's dossier- meant to be available to anyone that would be interested in hiring her. Hazel was familiar enough with them to begin with. He had to assume that Watts had gotten it in his own manner, and was probably working to get more out of it for the future.

Perhaps this was his way of looking for further leads.

Displayed there on the dossier, plain as day, was a bounty of information. Amber had been away from the kingdom on a patrol mission. She'd made a good name for herself doing search and rescue missions, just like her mother had once.

She'd trained at Beacon Academy.

Hazel closed the scroll and passed it back to Watts. "Is there some reason that you wanted to be here, really?"

"I wanted to know that you were still going to be able to _do your job_." He said, shrugging slightly. "Seeing as you've now taken part in your own child's murder."

The burning intensified.

Hazel hesitated. Frowned deeper because Watts' jab was something that he didn't think he'd ever be able to properly forget. It was blood he wasn't going to get off of his hands. He _couldn't._ It wasn't even the first time that he's been involved in a killing, but this one was different. He felt much more like a monster than he ever had before and Watts knew it, and he would worry the wound for as long as he felt necessary to do so.

Salem would not let him go. Of that Hazel could be absolutely certain.

That was why he'd ended up where he was. That was why Amber was lying dead in a ditch, why they hadn't even had the time to bury her body.

Protesting for it would have only raised alarms for the others.

"I will try." Hazel said plainly, unable to think of anything else to tell Watts. He'd go along, if only because he knew that Salem had done something terrible to him. She'd wrapped herself around his essence, his very being. She'd wound around his heart, and if Hazel ever wanted to leave, she only needed to _squeeze_ to stop him from making the effort. "I don't want to."

"Clearly not." Watts said plainly. "I think that it may be safe to assume that we must find the other Maidens. I don't know that I believe in the girl, though."

"I don't know I do either." Hazel said, thinking of Cinder. He wondered whether she was feeling any different about the way that things were now. "She may have been able to do this, but..." His voice trailed off. "If the Maidens are truly in danger, I suspect the other ones will be more closely protected for the future."

Watts shrugged. "I believe that it will depend on Salem herself, Hazel." He looked down at the city of Mistral, down below their balcony. "I have a contact here within Mistral that I'm going to do what I can to keep close. He may be able to tell us more."

Hazel's brow furrowed. "Is that how you got the dossiers?"

"I figured that it was something which could go without saying." Watts mumbled, turning his scroll over in his hands and thinking. "But depending on how things are moving forward, we may need to consider distancing ourselves from the girl."

"And Tyrian?"

"Best kept with us." Watts responded, too quickly, too readily. "he's an obsessive type and you know it. I for one don't trust that creature around other people."

"And if the two girls run?"

"Only the one can, I would guess." Watts said with a little snort. "Emerald may be able to. Cinder... It seems that Salem has truly chosen her for something special. Not that I have any idea what at this point."

It almost sounded like there was a hint of jealousy in Watts' voice, but Hazel didn't want to let himself think about it for too long. Watts being jealous was far from an unusual thing, but that didn't make it any less _dangerous_. Watts would lash out and hurt if he felt the need to. Hazel had been able to live for some time in some relief knowing that Watts wasn't fighting him directly.

It was going to be a terrible question moving forward.

"If we split from them, we should keep an eye on those girls." Hazel mumbled. "The two of them both know too much, and with what happened— "

"Yes, a rogue maiden would be rather _problematic_ for us." Watts grinned from behind his mustache, eyes narrowed dangerously as though he'd figured out exactly what he wanted and needed to say in order to get his way. "Or is there some other reason that you're worried? She isn't her, you know that."

"I know."

"So why the concern?" Watts inquired. "You care for the girl?"

"She's a child." Hazel grumbled back to Watts. He hoped that was going to be able to get the message through to the other man. It probably wouldn't matter, since the idea was still emotional in nature. "That hasn't changed, power or experience don't matter. She's a child."

"Your daughter's age."

"Younger." Hazel corrected offhandedly. "And the other one is even younger than her. I don't intend to let them be harmed because of this."

"Then you should keep in mind that you're _too late_."

Their eyes met, and Hazel felt a thousand things that he didn't want to have to acknowledge. The worst thing of all perhaps was that Watts was _right_ , and both of them knew it. Cinder Fall had lost an eye already. Amber Rainart, his _daughter_ , was dead. Emerald Sustrai had been forced to play along with a murder. Both of the girls in their group had blood on their hands now. It was impossible to ignore.

Hazel nodded, unable to think of anything else to say at that point. A concession.

The two of them both understand. When Salem wanted to speak to them, she would. Hazel couldn't leave. That was the important thing.

Already he expected some firsthand reminder of that fact.

* * *

"How do you feel?"

That was the one question that it felt like everyone had been asking her. She'd heard it from Watts, then from Hazel. Tyrian had asked it, but since it was them in the house and and doing their best to rest, hearing it from Emerald was far from unexpected. There was a lot that the two of them hadn't talked about. They hadn't talked about most things.

Cinder still didn't even know where Emerald stood with regard to the knowledge that she'd had such an intimate role in a murder.

"I feel strong." Cinder said, feeling like she'd repeated those words a couple of times. "But I don't feel like I can control it. Not yet." She balled her hands into fists.

Emerald nodded, looking down at her feet. Her fingers were twined together in the blankets on the bed that she was sitting on. "Now that you're a maiden-" Emerald started, locking their gazes. Cinder felt almost angry about it because she _knew_ what was about to come. "What do you think is going to happen next?"

"I don't know." Cinder admitted. Since getting to Mistral things had gone eerily quiet. Hazel had been keeping his distance from the rest of them. Watts had been doing what he can to look after her as a doctor. Tyrian had run off to enjoy his time in the city.

Emerald must have been feeling like she was being kept on a leash.

Emerald took a deep breath. "I don't know that I... want to do this anymore." Obvious regret was on her face. "I understood that you wanted someone to help with finding a Maiden, but-"

"But what, Emerald?" Cinder snarled at the other woman, her eye narrowed in anger.

"Killing isn't... what I want to do."

"And where will you go if you leave?" Cinder asked, watching Emerald's entire body for any sign that she was going to move. "I don't think that you have anywhere to go."

"I don't." Emerald sighed, shrinking back. "But I still feel wrong about what we've done. I mean, we killed that woman and now we're just... here. Acting like it didn't happen."

Cinder hesitated. She still didn't quite know how she felt about what had changed so far just yet. Sleeping had gotten to be strange. She needed to find a new way to train without giving away what she is, but without a weapon that was going to be difficult. It wasn't simple at all.

The topic of replacing her weapon was one that hasn't come up quite yet. It had been on Cinder's mind near constantly of late.

"I know." Cinder muttered. They were going to have trouble figuring out how to handle what they'd done in general. "But I don't think that we have much of a choice in backing out now, Emerald."

"What even happens to us next?" Emerald asked, locking her eyes with Cinder's. "Because if you don't even know what's going to happen-"

"We'll figure it out." Cinder replied, hardening her voice as much as she can. "You will have to remain with us and when we know, you will find out."

She cocked her head to the side, attention locked onto Emerald's expression. The girl was still hugging herself, awkwardly and unsure of herself. "How will I know when you do?"

"You'll know because we let you know." Cinder responded, a little too harshly if the way that Emerald almost shrinked back away from her was any indication. "But for now I think that you need to remember your place, and you need to wait."

Emerald took a slight breath and nodded, gluing her eyesight to the floor in a pure act of submission. Cinder almost felt bad, but she didn't suspect that the incident would bring any additional problems for her. Emerald was in it for the long run, regardless of whether she liked it or not

"Yes, ma'am." Emerald finally whispered. Her grip on the blankets has tightened even more. "Of course."

Cinder looked back at Emerald. She was the one that she'd chosen to have a hand in the way things turned out. Now she had the power of the Fall Maiden, and it wouldn't have happened if not for Emerald being there. That is something which had managed to breed some sort of affection in Cinder for Emerald, small as it was.

"Emerald." Cinder lead the conversation a little bit more, for both of their sakes. "I must say that I have been curious since the fight against Amber."

Cinder felt something in her twist and turn at the mention of the name. It was something that she isn't going to be able to get over. It had been happening every time she thought the girls name, and when she'd see Hazel around her, as rare as that had become. Some nights the discomfort made it impossible for her to sleep.

"What is it?" Emerald asked, crossing her legs at the ankles. Nervous.

"I want to know what you made her see." Cinder said carefully. Her conscious nagged at her with a voice that didn't sound right, trying to tell her something that she couldn't make sense of. "According to what we know, her final thoughts would have had to have been about me."

Emerald hugged herself but got up from the bed, wandering over to the window and peering out it. Cinder stayed alongside her, doing the same and searching out something on the horizon. "I made her think that she was surrounded." Emerald mumbled. "By you."

Cinder nodded. It had certainly been effective enough.

"You did well." She reassured Emerald. "Exceptionally well. You're going to be useful moving forward."

"You say that but you don't know-"

Something in Cinder snapped, suddenly. WIthout warning. She reached out and slapped Emerald, a single even strike across the cheek which would be more than enough to shut her up. The girl jerked back, looking deeply upset with her eyes wide. She backed away from Cinder, cowering. "Your job is to obey." Cinder snarled at her, feeling something _wrong_ in her throat. It was familiar, but her voice sounded almost like it simply was not her own.

It was like her conversation with Tyrian. Burning rage that had come suddenly.

"Yes." Emerald repeated. "Right." Her red eyes flicked back to the floor, still wide with upset. "Of course. I'll just-" She shuffled back away from Cinder, looking back at her directly only for a second before rushing to the door and leaving the room.

Cinder took a breath. Alone. She was alone again. The same way that she had been when she'd first become involved in all of this nonsense. The circumstances were different, though. She was back in the place that she'd chosen to leave in the first place.

With no direction for what to do once again. She needed to find a way to understand her new power, but without Salem's intervention or direction, Cinder felt lost once more.

 _You are not truly alone,_ a voice in the back of her mind told her. _I am here for you. You've done well._

Salem's voice, mixed with another's, buried deep within her head.

Hearing it properly outside of a dream was new. Revolutionary, even. While it had seemed as though this was something that Tyrian had experienced a few times, Cinder had never been given that treatment. Definitely not from within her, at the least. She'd thought that it had merely been a byproduct of Tyrian's own insanity.

"Salem." Cinder said the name, almost feeling for it. "You're here."

" _I am._ " Salem's voice replied, faint as it was in Cinder's mind. " _And you have done very well for me. But do not be mistaken._ "

"My work isn't over, is it?" Cinder asked.

" _No._ " Salem answered. " _Far from it._ " Her voice quieted, and Cinder couldn't help the creeping feeling of dread that clawed its way down her spine. " _I need for you to grow stronger. The magic that now lives with you is strong, but it isn't enough_."

Cinder nodded, taking a deep breath. "What do you need for me to do?"

"Go to Vale." Salem told her. "With the power of a Maiden, you can claim more."

"Do you want me to go after the other Maidens?"

" _I want for you to claim their power for me. With them, we can unlock a new world_." Salem made the order. " _Vale should have what you need. Go there._ "

With that, her voice cut out into nothing, and Cinder was left alone, feeling strange and wrong. She felt disconnected from her own body, foreign in her own skin. Cinder stared at her hands, and for a moment she thought that she was beginning to look much paler than she would have otherwise.

Cinder blinked.

She needed to go and find the others. And talk to them so that they could know what she had just learned and had been ordered to do. On the way out, she caught a glance of herself in the bathroom mirror. She felt like she looked _wrong_ entirely.

Cinder took a breath and walked out of the room.

She wandered until she found some of the others. Hazel and Watts were out on the balcony, both of them talking and seeming mostly disinterested in the possibility that someone else could be there. Cinder felt a sickening wave of something crash over her.

"Watts." She said his name, because going after Hazel would have been much worse.

Watts and Hazel both peeled their attention away from their conversation to focus on her in that moment. Watts raised an eyebrow, sucking in a breath like something was definitely going on in his head. Cinder didn't have any idea what, but she felt hotter inside than she should have. Angry.

"Cinder." Watts greeted her. "And what brings you to meet with us?"

"We need to go to Vale." Cinder said, her voice hard and her brow furrowing. There was no additional order that came from within. "Salem came to me."

"Vale." Watts said, directing his attention onto Hazel with a raised eyebrow. "What's there aside from Beacon?"

Hazel frowned, his brow furrowing and his hands balling into fists. "There isn't much of anything beside that." Denial.

"She said that we needed to go there." Cinder said the name, and she watched the raise of eyebrows from the other two. "I think that there may be a Maiden there."

Hazel scoffed, shaking his head and making a point not to look over at her. "Vale is...

"Vale may be the key to something." Watts said, frowning. "A contact of mine informed me that they were dealing with Grimm out there. He hadn't mentioned anything about the other kingdoms in regards to this issue, though."

"It's a start." Hazel grumbled, pushing off from the balcony railing. "I don't think I can do much from Vale."

"No." Watts said, frowning. "I suppose you can't."

Cinder felt surprised by that, her attention snapping straight to Hazel because she had never heard anything about that. "Hazel?"

"It's unimportant." Hazel grumbled, sounding far from happy about it. "If I go I'll be under a close watch. That's all there is to it."

Cinder blinked and looked at Watts. Perhaps there was going to be something that he could give them which might work. He took a breath and shook his head. "We will do what we can to arrange a place for yourself." He said, his voice mostly even. "I'm sure that we can get you into the Academy, along with Emerald."

"Beacon." Cinder said, knowing that her voice came out too harshly. "Why there?"

"Because it places you in a position where you can better watch and arrange a place for yourself." Watts said, his voice hard. "Do not underestimate the power of infiltration."

Cinder swallowed and looked to Hazel now. He closed his eyes. "If you are able to exist as a student, you live under the radar. Myself and Watts would not have that luxury."

She stared between the two of them. "One of you need to tell me what's going on."

"That is none of your business." Watts said, holding his head up high. "Tyrian would be unlikely to do well in the city as well."

Cinder wanted to protest that, since it seemed that Tyrian was capable of handling much more than the others gave him credit for. He may have been a bit unreliable, but he did well enough wandering cities on his own when they stopped there. It was yet another feeling that didn't feel quite like one of her own.

She took a breath. "Do you think that this will work?"

"It puts us in a position to gather information." Watts said, almost evenly. "I will contact professor Lionheart in the morning about your... attendance. Though-"

He focused his eyes on her, green and bright and full of something strange that Cinder couldn't quite identify. "You have a history at Haven, don't you?"

"I don't see how that's important."

Hazel rolled his eyes. "It makes your cover easier. If you have information on file at Haven already, then you can do more."

"Then-"

"We'll arrange Emerald's enrolment and place her on the same team as yourself." Watts frowned, a little too obviously. "You'll need to find a way fo fill out your team of course. I recommend you start looking now. Take Emerald with you."

Cinder blinked. "What about you?"

"We'll be in contact." Watts shrugged. "That's all."

Cinder frowned, but she supposed that if this was going to be the order they were going to pass down, she would follow. It would take her to Vale sooner than later. Once she was there, things would likely become more clear.

"Alright." Cinder held her head up high. If she was going to find Emerald, then now was a good chance to start. After all, if the girl wanted to disappear, she had a semblance that would allow her to. The question was whether or not she had the finesse needed to make that happen properly or not.

Cinder turned her back to the others and began on her way out of the building. Once she was just out of earshot she heard Hazel mumble something, to which Watts replied. Neither of them were easy enough to hear or make out from where she was.

They were keeping her in the dark, she _knew_ it.

She was going to have to light the way on her own, like flames.

The heat in her grew in something that almost felt like agreement. She felt sad for it, but didn't allow for herself to dwell on the thought.


	47. Kin

Ruby made the trip up to Ozpin's office alongside her teammates.

None of them had been really surprised when they had been called into Ozpin's office in the morning. If anything, they were more surprised that it hadn't happened sooner, like when they'd gotten back from the forest the night before. Ruby could only guess that Oobleck and the other hunters had met the night before.

Even after a night of sleep she was exhausted. She woke up that morning and took a shower and found that she had bruises all over, and apparently she wasn't the only one. Her bones ached and she still had a headache from the night before.

It didn't matter though. Not when Ruby still had things to do.

They reached the elevator that would bring them up to Ozpin's office. Team JNPR was already there, gathered around in a little huddle as they talked and speculated on what was going to happen once they were in the meeting.

"Hey." Ruby greeted the four of them. The first one to react was Pyrrha, who cast a glance at her over her shoulder and smiled before she finally turned to greet them.

"Hello, Ruby." Pyrrha said, smiling.

"Hi." Ruby smiled back at her. "Have they— "

"Not yet." Pyrrha cast a glance at the elevator back over her shoulder, looking worried. "I think they might just be running late. It was a long night for all of us." She shrugged. "It's probably nothing."

"Yeah." Ruby shifted a little bit where she was standing, feeling nervous all of a sudden. "Right."

"It'll be fine." Jaune said over Pyrrha's shoulder in the hopes that they were going to be alright. He took a few steps forward, to get closer to the rest of them.

There was a noise and Ruby heard the quiet ding of an elevator opening behind them. She turned and looked into it. It was completely empty, so Ruby took a deep breath. "I guess it's gonna be cramped." She took the first steps in and watched as everyone else filed in together. She ended up with Pyrrha at her side.

"Only a little bit." Yang grumbled, hitting the button that closed the elevator doors. Within seconds, there was that little lurch that told them that they were on their way up.

"It's probably going to be a normal meeting." Ren said, sounding much calmer than anyone else was. He was leaning in against the wall in the corner, his eyes on the floor and his arms crossed over his chest. "We should be prepared for that."

"Ren is right." Blake sighed, like she hadn't managed to get so much of a moment of sleep the night before despite the fact that Ruby knew she had. "It's probably just a debriefing."

Ruby nodded along and then looked to her sister. "Do you think that dad or Qrow might be there?"

"I dunno." Yang mumbled, her eyes flicking away from Ruby and the hint of a frown tugging at her lips. Before Ruby could say anything else, the door opened and Ozpin's office was revealed to them.

Gathered there was a group of huntsmen. Some that Ruby recognized, some that she didn't. Her father and Qrow were there mumbling back and forth to each other, Ozpin was at their desk. General Ironwood and Winter were there, along with Doctor Oobleck and their other professors.

It was obvious what they were looking at. This was everyone that had been involved in the events of the last few days.

Everyone turned their heads to look at them, and Ruby felt her stomach flip. She bowed her head a little bit and walked towards the middle of the room, the same way that they'd been taught to. It felt almost like any other debriefing that she'd been to, just different because of the magnitude.

Her dad pushed off of the wall and walked over to her and Yang, giving them both some quick hugs.

Once he was done, he stepped off to the side.

From behind their desk, Ozpin got up and stood up tall. "Thank you for coming." They started. "To all of you."

They walked around to the front of their desk, seeming almost far away but ready for a proper meeting. "I figure that you all understand what you're doing here." They took a breath. "The grimm that attacked in the last few days has been disposed of. I figured this was a good opportunity for us to catch up and clear some of the air. I do hope that all of you have managed to get some rest after our night."

They stared at Ruby, too intense. "And I would like to start by thanking our students for providing aid."

Ruby was hit with an almost overwhelming urge to shrink back. Ozpin was clearly interested in something, but Ruby had a feeling that wasn't going to happen. She let her eyes flick down at the floor instead of watching Ozpin.

At her side, Weiss seemed that she was doing her best to pay attention. There was a slight nudge at Ruby's arm, which made Ruby stand up straight again.

"You all did very well." Ozpin said calmly, peeling their attention away from Ruby now. "And I must commend you. I've heard that you made a strong showing in combat against the grimm."

Ruby and the rest of her friends all mumbled their thank yous. Satisfied, Ozpin moved on. "I would also like to thank the rest of you for your assistance. We could not have protected the city of Vale without your help."

They blinked, eyes flickering over to Ironwood and then Qrow and Glynda. Like Ozpin was trying to say something to them silently. Ruby watched, seeing the expression of recognition flicker over her uncle's face.

Ozpin took a breath. "Now that all of that has been said, I would like to hear some status reports. Starting with Vale."

They stared Glynda down, and Ruby watched Winter take a step forward to place herself at the front. "We did what we could to evacuate the people of Vale to established safe zones." Glynda began to explain. "The established plans for evacuation played out without a hitch and nobody was harmed. It's a miracle."

"Excellent." Ozpin said calmly. "Would you say that there was anything in the protocols that need to be changed?"

"I wouldn't say as much as they were successful." Glynda adjusted her glasses, standing up tall. "There is nothing else that I have to report."

"Excellent." Ozpin said before looking to Qrow and Taiyang. "And with regard to the fight outside of the city— "

"We did what we could to distract it." Ruby watched as her father stepped to the front now, deciding to take the lead in a way that she wasn't used to seeing from him. "Getting it far away from Vale wasn't easy since the panic seemed to have it distracted."

"And the battle itself?"

"We did what we could." Qrow added, staring down at his hands. It was like he wanted to reach into his jacket and get his flask. Ruby remembered how weird things had been out in the forest, and how there had been things that didn't make any sense. Qrow's drinking was no secret to her and Yang. It hadn't been, not since they were young.

She just wasn't used to seeing him looking like he needed to drink in a meeting before.

Qrow shook his head, opting to slide his hands down into his pockets instead. "Between us, the students, and Bart, we were able to keep it from becoming too much of a problem." He held his head up high, locking eyes with Ozpin for the first time since the whole meeting had began. "Could have gone a lot more smoothly, but nobody was seriously hurt."

"That is something we will have to remember is a miracle." Ozpin said calmly. "Is there anything else that you would like to report?"

Qrow kept staring down at the floor, his expression far away. Taiyang set a hand on his shoulder and squeezed before casting a glance in Ruby and Yang's direction.

"No." Qrow mumbled. "That's it."

Ozpin turned their attention to Doctor Oobleck. "Is there anything that you would like to add to this account?"

"I cannot think of anything." Oobleck started. "I went to the dormitories to retrieve teams RWBY and JNPR as instructed. When I arrived the students were already prepared and appeared to be having a meeting of their own. I led them to the forest and checked on the spawning location in person. When the grimm arrived, each of the students were quick to take action."

"Would you consider their performance satisfactory?" Ozpin reached back to the desk behind them, picking up a sheet of paper and holding it up in front of their face.

 _They were being graded,_ Ruby realized as she fidgeted where she was standing.

"Yes." Oobleck said, casting a smile over in their directions instead of towards Ozpin's. "Very much so."

Ozpin put down some sort of note and turned their attention on the two groups of students that were standing in the middle of the room. "Do any of you have anything you would like to say?"

Ruby looked over at Weiss, looking for some sort of idea but only got a shrug in response. Blake seemed to be taking things the same way but Yang-

She had her head tilted down, her attention on the floor and her eyes-

 _Oh no._

"I have something to say." Yang said, looking up at Ozpin. The way that she walked to the front of the room was visibly angry. She kept her hands down at her sides, balled into fists. It was good that they had come unarmed, Ruby realized.

Ozpin nodded, giving permission. Ruby didn't miss that her uncle and father looked upset all of a sudden.

"Go on."

"We weren't the only ones there." Yang turned for face Taiyang. "Were we?"

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, but instead of looking to Taiyang, they looked to Qrow instead. Qrow nodded along, still frowning and looking far from happy about it. Ozpin pinched the bridge of their nose.

"Miss Xiao Long, you may stay. The rest of you are dismissed. Qrow, Taiyang-"

Ruby swallowed hard, realizing that this was some sort of family matter. There was something that she'd missed, but she didn't know what it was.

"Oz, we should keep Ruby here too." Qrow said, his eyes downturned still.

"Very well."

Weiss gave Ruby a look that she wasn't quite able to read and then turned to go, walking close to Blake on the way out along with team JNPR and the other teachers.

And just like that, it was her family and Ozpin, all in an office alone.

Once the separation was done and they were clearly alone, Ozpin nodded to Taiyang to take the lead.

"Yang, you're right." Taiyang sighed as he pushed his hair out of his face. "We weren't alone out there."

"Then why would you hide it?" Yang snapped back at him. "I know who I saw, and-" She let out a breath and balled her hands into fists more. It looked like she was about ready to punch someone. Or something. "Why are you guys hiding her?"

"Yang." Qrow cut her off, his voice too hard and his gaze not looking over towards the rest of them. "We can't just tell people that there are bandits out in the forest. It's not that simple."

" _But why was she there?_ " Yang snarled at Qrow, stepping in too close to him like she was readying for a fight. Ruby shrank back partially, not wanting to get more involved. She wasn't even entirely sure what she was doing there. "Why was my _mother-_ " She snarled.

"Yang." Taiyang mumbled, clearly trying to deflect the argument. "We didn't think that you would see her in all of the chaos."

"And that's supposed to make it better?"

"Wait!" Ruby cried, taking a few steps into the middle of the room. "What is even going on? I thought that we were talking about a giant monster!"

"Ruby-" Qrow muttered, and Ruby saw Ozpin get up, probably preparing to leave and give them some extra space. Ruby didn't know that she wanted for that to happen, since Ozpin was probably the only one that might have had a chance at keeping the peace. "Look, there was a lot going on out there."

Yang quieted down, just for a moment to give Qrow a chance to explain. "So?"

"So I went to the Branwen Tribe on Ozpin's orders to make sure that when it was time to fight, we would have backup. That meant getting Raven involved to make sure that fewer people might die." Qrow reached into his shirt pocket, removing his flask and moving to uncap it so he could take a drink. "She was there for work purposes, but we can't just give information about where Bandits are to all of Vale."

"But what if they attack?" Ruby asked, still feeling more than unnerved by everything that had just been said. "What about-"

"Bandits don't attack cities, they attack towns and settlements." Qrow replied. "When it comes to Vale itself, the people are better off not knowing and panicking because they're safe."

Yang took a breath. "So she's been out there in the forest, all this time?"

"No." Qrow sighed. "This is just where they're staying right now."

Ruby looked up at her father. He looked sad— much sadder than she remembered ever seeing him. She walked over to him and reached up, hoping to get something to comfort him or for him to do something in response. Instead, her father gave her nothing.

"Yang, this isn't anything personal." Qrow mumbled. "It's best to drop it."

"And what if I want to know more?" Yang snapped.

Ruby looked back over at her sister. Yang's eyes were still burning bright red in anger. She looked like she was seconds away from punching someone or starting a fight.

"Yang— "

"Then you need to learn to drop it before you get hurt!" Taiyang finally responded, snarling back at Yang for the first time in a long time. "All you're going to do if you go after her is get hurt and none of us want that."

"Then you shouldn't have insisted on _lying_ to me." Yang looked over at Ruby, her eyes still blazing. Ruby gave her sister a look in the hopes that she might have been able to get Yang to calm down at least a little bit. It didn't look like that was going to be what was going to happen though. "Now you can't keep this a secret anymore."

"No." Qrow sighed. "We can't. But you need to figure out your priorities."

"Yang-" Ruby spoke up finally, feeling like there was something that she needed to say. She needed to do something for her sister, even if she was kind of confused herself. "Come on, you don't need to get into a fight over this— "

"I know." Yang growled. "But they don't need to keep on lying about my mother either."

"Yeah, but..." Ruby let her eyes flick away. "It doesn't sound like they were doing it to hurt you." She sniffled a little bit, feeling her eyes get hot and beginning to water. "Come on, can't you try to calm down?"

Yang stared at her, expression and gaze equally intense but not letting herself move at all. The frown was too obvious, and the anger was as well. It was something that Ruby was fairly certain she wasn't going to forget. She'd never been on the receiving end of this sort of thing from her older sister.

She'd never wanted to be either.

"You don't get it, Ruby." Yang said, voice suddenly cool in the most infuriated way possible. "I don't like that they're keeping secrets from me." Her eyes narrowed again, her gaze turning on to Qrow. "And I get the feeling there are a lot of secrets being kept. And not just about my mother."

"Not everything is your business." Qrow snapped back. "You need to realize that, kid."

"Don't call me kid."

"That's what you are." Qrow added, "So I'm going to call you what you are. You need to learn what you should and shouldn't be getting involved in. Where my sister is falls under that category."

"I just don't get why you need to hide her." Yang snarled. "Seeing as she's my mother."

"It's to keep you safe!" Taiyang interjected. "That's it. We don't want you getting tied up in her lifestyle. Going after her would only get you hurt."

"Miss Xiao Long." Ozpin spoke up for the first time, and Ruby felt it just the same as everyone else in the room. She felt like she'd been frozen in place, and Yang's reaction seemed to be the same way. Her uncle and father also went quiet, all eyes in the room glued securely to Ozpin and Ozpin alone. "You must understand— "

"I'm pretty sure that I understand what's going on perfectly well." Yang retorted, all too harshly. "Nothing that any of you say is going to change my mind. I don't like that there are secrets being kept. Not about this."

"This is a personal matter I can see." Ozpin sighed. "But you must also understand the risks associated with Bandits. If you wish to pursue this, I will not stop you but please— "

The looks that Qrow and Taiyang were giving Ozpin spoke to pure betrayal. Like neither of them could even begin to believe what was being said. For Ruby, she didn't know what she was supposed to think or feel. She was going to need to talk to Yang about this sometime, but that didn't look like it was going to be possible.

"Please what?"

"Exercise caution." Ozpin finished. "That is all."

Yang nodded and turned, ready to storm out. The door opened for her, and she stormed out, alone. Ruby stayed behind, not sure what to do. She looked back over her shoulder at Ozpin.

"Professor?"

"Yes, Miss Rose?"

"I— " Ruby started to speak up, but whatever it was that she'd wanted to say failed to come to her. She clamped her mouth shut, remembering the battle against the giant grimm. Ozpin had asked if there was anything if they wanted to report.

A headache probably wasn't on the list of things that they wanted to know.

"It's nothing."

"Very well." Ozpin sighed and looked over at Qrow. "I hope that you will do what you can-"

"Yeah." Qrow responded, bitterly. "Got it."

With that, he left the room on his own. Taiyang let out a too-heavy sigh and clapped his hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Come on, Ruby. Let's get dinner. We can talk then."

Ruby nodded and followed after him, scared and sad and worried for her older sister.

* * *

Qrow immediately slipped off to somewhere quiet and out of the way where nobody could see him. Yang was going to be a problem, and he needed to do what he could to stop her from being a bigger problem than she would have been otherwise. That meant that he needed to make a trip and offer some thanks to his sister.

And ask her to leave.

Yeah, that wasn't going to be any fun. But he figured that Raven probably wasn't going to fight him about it too much.

Qrow shifted to a bird and launched into the skies, for the first time in a while not counting the number of mile markers that passed underneath him. There were no giant grimm to watch, but there were probably smaller ones down below. Qrow was pretty sure that the local remaining huntsmen were going to be acting with a little bit more prejudice in the near future.

He flew out to the camp, and found that it was already in the process of being broken down. People milled about below, his sister in the middle of the camp with a young woman that was about Yang's age at her side, giving orders.

Qrow didn't know that this meant that it would be safe to go down. Instead of making the motion to go down himself, Qrow stood by and waited.

When night fell and Raven retreated into her tent alone, Qrow flit down and changed to himself behind it, just out of view. He took a breath and then walked forward, pulling the canvas side open.

"Raven." He greeted her. She was sitting at the tiny table in her tent, a bottle of something sitting on it along with a book, a map, and a candle.

"Qrow." She greeted him. "Join me."

The way that she went about it made it feel like she actually wanted him there. It was almost like the fact that Qrow had dropped in unexpectedly didn't matter at all.

Qrow seated himself across from her and took the drink that was offered.

"Hey." He said, looking down into the amber liquid in his cup. "I wanted to thank you for coming and helping us out with that... thing."

"I figured as much." Raven sighed. "I must say that I'm not pleased with the particular group that you'd ended up with though. I know you know stronger hunters. And ones that aren't family."

Qrow sighed. "You know I can't plan around what Oz wants." He shook his head and leaned back, bracing himself against the floor with one outstretched arm. "The kids weren't something I could have planned for."

"Yang was there."

"Yeah." Qrow mumbled. "She was." He sipped from the glass that Raven had given him, shaking his head. "She isn't happy. Kid was able to put two and two together."

"I figured." Raven drank, leaning back in the exact same way that Qrow had. "How's she doing?"

"Probably going to come after you." Qrow barked out a bitter laugh, one which he was barely able to stop. "But it looks like you're packing up anyways."

Raven shrugged. "Figured it was better to move since we prefer not to be a known factor when it comes to Ozpin. Things seem to have dried up around here anyways."

"Where are you heading?"

"Haven't decided much yet." Raven blinked. "Figured we're getting off of Sanas first. Probably not going to Solitas. Nobody wants to deal with the weather."

"Makes sense." Qrow shrugged, trying to play it off like he was actually okay or the conversation didn't matter. It was all a lie, but somehow that wasn't the thing that reached his mind as the important part of the conversation. "Nobody really wants to live up in Solitas. Not even the ones that live there."

"Anima seems nice this time of year."

"Depends where you go." Qrow mumbled, remembering his and Raven's own upbringing on the continent. They'd never gotten to be very close to the cities really, but they'd both seen more than enough. "Either way, I think that it's for the best that you do. Sooner than later, before the kid can get here."

Raven nodded along, but her gaze was far from her. It seemed like she was looking far past him, toward something else that isn't really there. It was a look that Qrow used to be used to seeing from his sister. It didn't really feel like the case anymore, since they'd been separate for so long. The last time that Qrow saw it was just after Summer had died, and right before Raven had decided to run. It was a good thing that things had changed since then. It was still a sore spot regardless.

"I know." She said, drinking again like liquor is the chaser that her soul really needs. Qrow could relate. "I intend to honor the agreement we came to." Raven mumbled into her glass, her expression tight. "When she's truly on her own, she is free to see me. Until then, I stay out of the way." Their eyes locked. "That hasn't changed"

"I know." Qrow relied, drinking what was left in his own cup. This was the sort of conversation that always threw him off too. That was one of the things that he and Raven actually managed to have in common. "Thanks for sticking with it, by the way."

"Shut up."

"I mean it." Qrow sighed. "Tai's probably in Vale answering a lot of hard questions. Cat's out of the bag for Ruby too now, so it's…"

"Ruby." Raven paused, savoring the name. The two of them had never really discussed Ruby before. It had never been necessary. "She looks like her mother."

Qrow already knew where the conversation was going to go and he really didn't like it. It was one of the things that he truly wanted to be able to protect his nieces from. It was better for them if they just thought that Summer Rose had been killed in action like every other hunter in the history of the world. Ruby didn't need to know about it either. The less she knew about the truth, the better.

"Yeah." Qrow sighed, frowning. "She does."

"Can she use them yet?"

"Not to our knowledge." Qrow leaned back, and Raven got up on the other side of the table. She gestured for him to do the same, so Qrow rose and followed her over to the little sleeping mat that she'd set up for herself. She sat down there, where it would be more comfortable to begin with and Qrow doesn't see much of a point to arguing it. He dropped down beside her. "And she hasn't mentioned anything about something... happening. I figure when it happens, we'll know."

The furrow in his sister's brow said enough on its own. "Has Ozpin started looking for ways to use them yet?"

"Not to my knowledge." He turned only slightly and eyed his sister warily. This was a conversation that the two of them have had too many times before, and it never failed to get less and less appealing every time it comes back up. The difference is that now they're talking about an honest to god _kid_. Summer had been an adult. Ruby didn't have that luxury. "Ruby's invested in being a huntress though. More than I think me or Tai really realize."

"She seems good at it. Talented." Raven frowned. "Like her mother."

"She is." Qrow chuckled a little bit. "Little spitfires, both of them. Ruby has a knack for strategy, don't think she realizes it yet though. Yang's strong as hell. Their two teammates aren't anything to scoff at either." He paused, remembering a conversation that he'd had with one of the aforementioned teammates. It was probably a good of a time to bring it up as any. "You ran into one of them."

"I did, didn't I?" Raven sighed, leaning back so that her back rested against one of the supports for the tent. "The black haired one."

"Blake." Qrow corrected. "The kid's name is Blake Belladonna. I've been doing what I can to help her out, and she mentioned you." He blinked. "What did you say to her?"

"Told her to go to Beacon." Raven replied. "I mean, the second time I did. The first time I don't know she noticed me."

"What do you mean _the first time?_ " Qrow wracked his brain. He couldn't remember talking about Raven more than once where she'd been the one to bring it up. The first night that he'd met her it was possible that she might have run into Raven, but… Qrow doubted that was the case. If only because the way that Blake had come had been so weird and wrong.

Knowing what he did then, the odds of her and Raven crossing paths was too low.

Raven looked down into her cup, frowning. "She was…. Hiding. I provided a distraction. That's all. She never saw me. And if she did, I don't think she would have known it was me."

Qrow nodded, not sure that he wanted to ask more. "Thanks for getting her back to Beacon, either way." He turned his cup in his hands, frowning down at it the entire while. Sometimes he remembered exactly why he and Raven were able to stick together the way that they did. Twins, at the end of the day. That never changed.

Qrow just wished more than anything else that his sister was actually there for him, and that he was actually allowed to be there for her the same way. She deserved better than distancing herself, she deserved better than needing to pack her things up and leave as soon as possible. If Qrow had a choice she wouldn't have had to.

But this was the arrangement that had been decided on. Raven kept her distance for Yang's sake as long as she's still involved in Bandit life. That's it.

"I hope she does well. All things considered." Raven sighed. She looked up at Qrow and their eyes met. She looked so sad. So so sad. "I think it's for the best that you go."

Qrow frowned, but got up anyways. It was for the best, Qrow knew that perfectly well. The last thing that he intended to do was to hurt his sister. He needed to go home. "Sure thing." He mumbled before going over to the flap of the tent and pulling it open just a little bit. "I'll see you soon, I hope."

"Don't count on it."

Qrow took to the skies.

* * *

"Sir!" Winter called to him from outside of his office, clearly wanting to get something out into the open. James sighed and picked his head up to give her one look before shrugging so that she could come in herself.

Winter stepped in and closed the door behind her, checking to lock it.

"What is it, Schnee?" James mumbled, setting down his scroll and the paperwork that he'd had sitting in his lap. He'd been in the middle of a logistical decision, but that was something that he could put on hold for the time being. It had been merely a matter of making sure that he and Winter would be able to depart for Atlas soon and without much issue.

Winter stood up tall. "I wanted to request one last training session with my sister." She started, looking sad. "Seeing as we're preparing to leave."

James paused, giving her a searching look. "At ease." He mumbled before standing up straight. "Have you spoken to Weiss about this?"

"Not yet." Winter said sadly. "I figured that she might have wanted some space for a bit after the fight." Her blue eyes focused on a corner of his desk, and James didn't need to think hard about it to know that there was a certain level of avoidance at play in the moment. Not that he hadn't expected it. "But if it is possible, I want to see how's she's doing."

"She was involved with the fight, wasn't she?"

"She was." Winter replied. "From what Doctor Oobleck said-"

James raised an eyebrow, since he hadn't even known that Winter had decided to go talking to Oobleck in the first place. She'd probably considered him a safer choice than going to Qrow Branwen or Taiyang Xiao Long. Oobleck held himself as an academic, it only made sense. He was eccentric, but in many ways more clean cut than the rest of them were.

Winter noticed that she was being scrutinized and stood back up ramrod straight. "He said that she put in an excellent performance in the field, but that she also chose to stay close to the ground while her teammates were moving around and getting up close." Winter blinked. "I wanted to see whether or not that was something we could help her with."

"I see." James sighed. "I wouldn't be opposed, Winter. Though I can't say I'm certain what you want me to do."

"It's just a training session, sir." Winter blinked and stared down at the corner of his desk. Whatever she was looking for, he didn't know that she was going to be able to find it. "To see whether she is really… growing."

"I have faith in your sister, Winter— " James swallowed hard, not wanting to let himself think too hard about what was going on. He cared for Winter, much more than he ever should have. That didn't change anything. "I'll see what I can do on my schedule."

"That's all I was hoping for." Winter smiled softly, walking back to the door. She hesitated for a moment. "Stay in touch?"

"Of course."

With that she left, and James couldn't bring himself to look back over his shoulder and see what she was doing.


	48. A New Search Begins

Once things had gotten quiet again and she had a chance, Blake slipped out of the academy in the middle of the night. She'd done it several times before, and a change in the security around the school hadn't made it any harder. Unlike the times before, Blake felt at ease leaving. There were no giant monsters on the horizon. To her knowledge, she was safe in Vale.

She only left the academy that night because there were things that she needed to do— things which she couldn't allow herself to hesitate on.

And that was why, for the third time, Blake found herself standing outside of Junior's bar. It was raining hard, the same way that it had the first time that she'd gone in. It was about the only thing that the evening had in common with that first time she'd gone to Junior's. She wasn't hurt. She wasn't looking for a place to stay.

She just needed to get answers on something.

When she stepped in, the dance floor was packed and music was playing loudly over the speakers. It was something with heavy drums and bass that hurt her ears almost immediately. Blake tried not to concentrate on that, beelining for the bar. She had to brush past people on the way there.

Sure enough, the man that she was looking for was already there, wrapped up in a conversation with a man in a white coat and vibrant orange hair. Blake slipped into her seat, ignored the others, and waited.

Within minutes, Junior was there to speak to her, the red haired man having gone to make himself busy somewhere else.

"What are you doing here this time?" Junior asked, looking down at her disapprovingly before he turned away from her. He didn't bother to ask her for what she wanted to drink, already pouring her a glass of water and sliding it across the counter with a cherry floating on top of the ice.

Underneath it, was a folded napkin.

Blake knew how to recognize a signal.

"I needed to come in and ask you about what we talked about last time." Blake started. She held her head up high and tried to listen around her. There were conversations going on that she wasn't able to make out over the music. They didn't seem to matter.

Junior nodded, and seemed pleased when Blake removed the cherry from her glass and popped it into her mouth. Blake lifted the glass up and slid out the napkin before setting the glass down on a proper coaster.

"I wanted to ask you something." Junior decided to derail as Blake unfolded the napkin. In thick black ink and relatively neat handwriting was a message, comprising of a single word.

 _Outside._

Blake raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" She set the napkin face-down.

"Do you know anything about that grimm that's gone now?"

Blake cocked her head to the side. "You're asking about that?" She even smiled, almost confident.

"You're from the academy?" Junior responded calmly. "I figured that you might have known something."

Blake hesitated for just a moment. "I might know something but-" She glanced around the room to make sure that they weren't being listened in on. "I don't know that I'm allowed to say."

Junior nodded and turned. "I think I'm on break." Subtly, he made a hand gesture, five fingers outstretched. Five minutes.

"Right."

Blake watched Junior leave, and waited the five minutes, sipping from her glass. It didn't take her much to realize that Junior had made her a drink to make her look like she belonged there. Just made up enough to pass off as alcoholic.

All of a sudden, Blake was reconsidering what she was _actually_ getting involved in. Junior had been helpful in the past, but there was still something distinctly shady about him. Not bad shady, but shady nonetheless.

And yet, she was fairly certain that she could trust him. He hadn't led her astray yet.

When the right amount of time passed, Blake allowed herself to go out and meet Junior in the back.

He was standing next to a dumpster behind the bar, quiet and alone. He hadn't even bothered to put on a coat, since there was a little canopy created by a fire escape that had been tarped over up above. Probably put together so that people would be able to come out and take their breaks without trouble.

Blake checked over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't being followed and tucked herself in beside Junior. "You had information?"

"I did." Junior sighs. "I have a friend in the city that's been trying to get out of the White Fang."

Blake blinked. "I can't say that I've heard about that." She stared forward, eyes darting to the entrance of the alleyway every few seconds.

"The guy's a small fry in the grand scheme of things." Junior explained, reaching into one of the pockets in his vest. "Point is, he's trying to get out, and— " He frowned and shrugged, awkwardly.

"And the Fang kills its defectors." Blake finished for Junior. "So they're going to be showing up around here soon."

"Might be." Junior shrugged again, looking out through the cracks in the buildings to watch the streets. "If you're really on the run from them, keep a low profile. My friend's trying to make a run for Vacuo, but-" The man's frown got worse. "Might not be enough."

"Right." Blake couldn't help the way that her ears strained against her bow and flattened back against her head. "Thanks, Junior."

Junior gave her a searching look, apparently looking for something in her that she didn't know. "You know that making friends with informants isn't smart."

"Yeah." Blake looked down at the ground. "I know. But neither is joining and running from the White Fang. My chances aren't great either way."

"Just keep your head down and your nose clean. Beacon will take care of you, they always do." Junior turned to face her directly, stepping out from under the little canopy. In one fluid motion, he offered her something. Another napkin which had been folded in half.

Blake reached out and took it, pocketing it.

"If you need me, or if you think something's happened, call me. It's probably for the better if you don't make a habit of hanging around nightclubs." Junior frowned. "Or at least not around this one."

Blake nodded. "Thanks." With that she took the first few steps away from Junior and tried her best to ignore how uneasy the whole conversation had left her. A part of her wanted to go back and ask whether or not Junior would give the name of his friend. Blake figured that she could have gone and found out who he was and what he was doing.

Instead, she was going back to her dorm. It was for the better if she did.

* * *

Everyone had decided to go out for the night, which left Yang to her own devices. Ruby was off with Team JNPR for some reason, Weiss had wanted some time to herself in the library, and Blake had gone somewhere without much explanation. Not that she would have given it if she wanted to.

It gave Yang an opening to do her own thing and try and look into some things which were bothering her. Namely, the conversation that she'd gotten locked into with her family after the briefing.

She had questions, and she was going to get some answers.

Regardless of what everyone else thought.

Yang gave herself one last look in the mirror. Fully prepared for battle, Ember Celica equipped, and ready for a fight.

Armed and ready.

Just like she needed to be.

Just in case.

The last thing she did was allow it to linger before leaving the dorm and leaving Beacon entirely. Walking out to Vale unnoticed was relatively easy, even if she spent a little time eye rolling at a wolf whistle directed in her way. Pigs.

When she got to the gates, nobody was there. Which Yang could be glad for. The fewer people asking her questions, the better.

Yang checked over her shoulder and could have sworn that she'd seen Blake's form going in the opposite direction. She didn't intend on prying. Besides, she needed her space. Blake probably did too.

She took a deep breath before stepping out into the forest and beginning her walk. Once she had some extra space between her and the city, she could speed things up and get up into the trees. It'd be easier to find what she was looking for that way.

Yang got a suitable distance away that she was out of eyeshot and broke into a sprint, carrying herself further and further into the woods.

Yang didn't have to run long- at the least, it didn't feel like she needed to. Her main concern was making sure that she was going to be able to do things without being interrupted. She couldn't trust that nobody was going to be watching her, or following her, or anything else. Yang had a mission, and being stopped was the absolute last thing that she wanted.

At around the fourth marker that she passed, Yang slowed to a stop and shivered. She cast a glance around the forest that surrounded her. It was dark still, the trees casting shadows all over the path below. It was dark and cold.

If she was out for too long, then the others were probably going to come after her. While the chance of her being noticed while everyone was already out was low, it was only going to get smaller. She didn't want for her teammates to get angry at her in the same way that they had at Blake when she'd run off into the forest with no explanation.

Yang shook the thought and continued on her way out.

It would be a lot easier if she actually knew where she was going other than into the forest. A thought crossed her mind and Yang braced herself, flaying her hands out to her sides and letting Ember Celica deploy. She threw them back again and the guns fired, launching her up into the treetops.

Yang landed there and held onto a branch, looking out into the forest in front of her. Off in the distance, there was the rise of a pillar of smoke. It was either going to be someone camping, or something natural. Yang had her doubts about the latter, so she took a breath and started to take her journey, further and further.

In a way, it almost reminded her of something which she'd done before, when she'd taken her little sister in a wagon and tried to wander out in search of her mother once before. This time Ruby was still at Beacon, but Yang was going to come back.

This time, she could actually fight back if she needed to. She didn't have to hope her uncle or father would show up to save her.

Yang followed after the pillar all night, and come morning she allowed herself to finally rest and take a moment to breathe. There was a small stream, so Yang flopped down on its bank and gave herself a chance to rest, even if it only took half an hour at most. Every minute that she waited, there was a chance that her destination would evaporate out of possibility.

The moment that she was ready, Yang got back up, and started moving again. The smoke disappeared, and so Yang began to work based on memory instead. She used her weapons to move her through the forest as fast as she could, running and launching herself from tree to tree.

Close to three in the afternoon, Yang skidded to a stop, able to see wooden walls in the distance.

She'd found it.

Yang took a deep breath and stood up tall. She steeled herself, and forced herself to walk on towards the gates.

When she reached them, she stopped just outside of them.

Behind them, there was only empty space.

That felt... wrong. Yang stepped inside only to find the marks of dead grass where things had once sat. Aside from dead grass were the scattered debris of relocation, and a fire pit which was still probably warm. Like it had been simply left to burn out instead of someone going through the trouble to extinguish the flames.

She hadn't gotten there fast enough.

She'd _failed_.

Yang couldn't help but to break down there and cry because she'd been so close that it had been actually tangible.

Nobody came for her. Nothing came for her.

When it was time for her to leave, she only could collect herself and take the walk back to Beacon. When she arrived, the others were there, looking worried. When her teammates asked her where she'd been, Yang couldn't quite bring herself to answer.

They wouldn't understand.

* * *

Watts approached Haven Academy, feeling mostly prepared for whatever was going to come and also thoroughly unconcerned with any of it. His job was to try and ensure that Cinder and Emerald would have a place as students while they went out looking for more potential teammates to bring along with them.

The academy was waiting for him, and when Watts went in he found that he was already on the schedule for a meeting with headmaster Lionheart. It could have been worse, he supposed as he walked up to Leonardo's office. Having a meeting scheduled was far better than sitting around and waiting.

When Watts got to the door, it was closed and he could hear Lionheart talking to someone on the other side. It didn't sound like they were in the same room, more like they were speaking over a transmission. Listening along, Watts was able to deduce some things. It was news out of Vale, that much was clear. Apparently some of the problems they'd been seeing there had gone away to some degree.

Namely, a giant grimm.

He waited patiently, and when the call ended, Watts only rapped his knuckles against the door. "Leonardo." Watts announced his presence through the door. "Are you ready to meet?"

"Ah!" Lionheart said, rushing to the door and opening it. Watts immediately noted that Lionheart looked a little bit panicked. "Arthur. You're here."

"I am." Arthur said, taking the lead to go in himself without invitation. He was on Lionheart's schedule, so he couldn't have been less concerned in a lot of ways. If he'd wanted to, he oculd have even come in while Lionheart was taking the call. "You and I needed to speak."

"Ah, yes, of course." Lionheart closed the door and hurried over to the desk. "Tea?"

"Black if you have it." Watts ordered. It had been far too long since he'd last had a good cup of tea. "I'm sorry for how... impromptu this meeting is."

"It's of no concern." Lionheart replied, already setting up the little stove that he kept behind his desk. "It's not as though my schedule was particularly full."

"Regardless." Watts rolled his eyes. He didn't actually care for what was going on with Lionheart's schedule. He only cared that Cinder would be taken care of. She had the power of the Fall Maiden now— it was only fitting that she was watched. "I have a favor that I need to ask for you, and that this is treated as a discreet matter."

"Discreet?" Lionheart asked, his eyes widening for a moment. "Is there a particular reason for this?"

"Of course." Watts rolled his eyes again. Always with the stupid questions. "But I need to know that I have your word that you won't make this difficult for me." Watts gave Lionheart a look that should have been enough to intimidate him into listening along with what was needed of him. Lionheart swallowed nervously and nodded, sitting up straight.

"What is it?"

Watts sighed, accepting the cup of tea that was offered to him. "I was on an assignment recently, and I had a bit of a run-in with a few young hunters." Watts stared back up across at Lionheart. "One of which is one of your former students."

"Are you here to request re-entry?" Lionheart got up and walked to an old wooden cabinet that had been set in the corner of the room. Watts leaned back and watched as he began to hunt through files. "Did the student have a name?"

"Cinder Fall." Watts responded. "The girl is quite good, and I think that it would be... beneficial to see to it that she's enrolled along with the other students she's found as an... impromptu team of sorts."

Lionheart nodded, but his eyes flicked away from Watts nervously. Like the man was afraid of the direction in which their conversation was going. "How much are you going to tell me?"

"In truth," Watts stood up tall. "I can't tell you much for the moment. Just that your academy would be loathe to reject them. I'm sure that Atlas or even Beacon would happily accept them. If not there, then there is always Shade I suppose. Should they become desperate." He sipped his tea, setting it down on Lionheart's desk and leaning in. "But I think it would be wise to keep the two of them closer to home if possible. I'm sure you understand."

"Oh, yes, of course." Lionheart turned away from Watts, and Watts watched as the sheets of paper which were no doubt enrolment forms were set down onto the table between the two of them. Four sheets, probably just in case there were going to be any extras needed. Watts certainly didn't see himself having a problem with that particular detail. "Should I expect anything else?"

"Only expect to be hearing from me soon, Leonardo." Watts said, standing up and folding the four sheets of paper. They fit nicely in his pocket, and Watts was sure that it would only be a matter of time before he was returning to Lionheart in person for yet another meeting. "You are rather important to my plans."

Lionheart nodded, but there was something on his face that Watts couldn't quite make out. Slowly, he began to speak. "This has nothing to do with your work as a specialist, does it?"

Watts rolled his eyes. "I don't see how that's your concern. I've come to you in a time of need, and you'll find that helping me would make your life much easier."

Lionheart nodded. "I understand." He took a breath though. "This girl that you're asking for me to admit again... Cinder Fall."

"That is the one." Watts answered. "What about her?"

"How have you found her? And with someone else?"

"What do you mean?"

Lionheart took a breath. "Miss Fall left Haven rather... unexpectedly. She simply disappeared from the dorms and stopped attending classes. She had teammates that weren't able to offer any reason for why she would leave. All of her professors said that she was promising, but..." Lieonheart looked away from Watts, his brow furrowed. "There is simply too much that we don't understand. And I am concerned that her being able to attend Haven again with a new team would raise... questions. And without answers that I could give, I have to be concerned."

Watts rolled his eyes. "I am simply asking that the paperwork is legitimate so that she and her teammates can go to Beacon without any incident."

Lionheart's eyes flicked away again. "Why Beacon? I thought that you said you wanted Haven because it was close to home?"

"I want for me to be able to _keep an eye on them_." Watts rolled his eyes. "And since the General is in Vale at the moment, I'll be going soon."

Lionheart's eyes widened in something akin to understanding. "This is some sort of parole, isn't it?"

"Trust me to take care of the parts that I need to take care of, Lionheart." Watts rolled his eyes. "After all, I'm sure that the General wouldn't want to know that you were interfering in our business, wouldn't he? You know how terribly uptight he can be."

Lionheart nodded, but his eyes stayed glued onto the floor in front of him. "Of course, Arthur. Whatever you say."

"Thank you." Watts sighed and turned, heading for the door. This was something that he could only maintain for so long, but if Lionheart was going to follow along on false assumptions, then Watts was content to use that. "You'll be hearing from me soon."

"Of course."

And with that Watts let the door close behind him and rolled his eyes. It wasn't a long walk to get him out of Haven Academy and into the city. When he finally reached the house, it was already full of people who all seemed to be rather interested in making food. Hazel was at the stove, with Cinder and Emerald sitting by and talking. Tyrian was sitting there too, but looked rather twitchy, and not in a good way.

Watts rolled his eyes at the way that all four of them stared at him. "What are you doing?"

"Nice of you to finally join us." Cinder remarked, sitting up tall with her hands resting on the counter in front of her. "Where have you been?"

"May I ask who put you in charge?" Watts retorted, removing the packet of paperwork from his folder. "I was off making sure that certain things could be in place for what is to come in the near future. Which means making sure that you two have a way into Beacon without causing incident."

Hazel picked his head up, frowning a little bit and looking straight ahead, his eyes focused on something outside the building. "You went to the academy?"

"I simply pulled some strings." He set the sheets of paper down on the counter between Emerald and Cinder. "And you two have work to do now. Each of you need to fill your own enrollment slips, and when you finally find people to fill out the rest of your team, you'll do the same for them. Are we at an understanding?"

Cinder glared at him and reached out for the first form, looked down at it for just a second, and then her frown deepened, deeply unamaused. "Why are you making me go back there?"

"I'm not." Watts rolled his eyes. "I am merely providing an alibi and getting you into Beacon."

Emerald took one of the sheets for herself and paused, a look of something akin to panic flitting across her her face. "You're... entering us into one of the academies?"

"I thought that was already clear."

Emerald nodded. "Will we be able to do classes, and all of that?" She jerked her head up and focused her gaze on Watts' face. "Or is this just in name?"

"You'll be playing along like exchange students. That means classes while also having a more full run of Vale itself. So you can do your jobs while getting into the places where I need you to be."

"Where _we_ need them to be." Hazel spoke up, his voice hard and obviously annoyed. "You aren't in charge here either."

"None of us are in charge but our dear goddess." Tyrian spoke up, squirming a little bit in his seat. Sitting in one place for so long was probably getting under his skin, Watts expected, not that he actually cared. "If this is what she wants for us to do, then we must do it."

"Precisely." Watts growled at the two girls. "Now do your homework. Salem knows that you're going to have to get used to doing it soon if you're going to play along well enough." He shrugged, thinking hard. "While you two are in Beacon, I'll be making contact with an old friend. Hazel-"

Hazel picked his head up, obvious frown on his face. "You know that you're going to need to stay away from Beacon. "

"I'm aware."

Cinder and Emerald exchanged a look before both of them focused in on Hazel, both obviously confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"What it means is I'll stay at a distance." Hazel answered. "You don't need to know anything else."

Watts let out a laugh. "You know that the two of them are smart enough they'll be able to figure out some names on a wall, Hazel." He took a seat finally and caught his first good look of Hazel's hands. The man was standing there, gripping a spoon too tightly, to the point where it looked like the wooden handle would crack. "It would be better to just tell them. "

Hazel didn't respond, his eyes downturned and a frown obvious on his face. "It's better not to open up old wounds."

"And yet you're already bleeding at the cracks, Hazel." Watts knew that going after the topic of the maiden was a low blow. It was a bit much, but he needed to make sure that Hazel was still going to be working with the rest of them. "What's another loss of family?"

"You... don't have a family?" Emerald asked, but it sounded more like there was something that she wanted to have clarified. Almost like the girl thought that she had found a type of kindred spirit. "You're from Vale?"

"I was. Briefly." Hazel stressed. "And this isn't any of either of your business. If you're so desperate to know, you can put the story together for yourselves."

Watts rolled his eyes, but that would have to do. "You two should be focusing on your paperwork first. And do remember that you're on a timeline and you may need to find more help anyhow. After all-" Watts made a point to gesture to the two spare sheets of paper. "You'll need a full team. And that means that you'll need to be able to fill out the leftover slots."

Cinder paused, and Emerald did the same. Cinder spoke up. "Emerald, do you know anyone?"

"No." Emerald answered. "I don't. I've been on my own for too long, and making friends isn't easy when you're where I was or doing things like I was."

"You two have work to do, then." Watts rolled his eyes. "I recommend taking a look around the underworld of Mistral. It's a wealth of capable fighters, and now that we're in the main city finding people of the right age should be easy enough."

He hesitated, catching Hazel's eyes and seeing a sort of message in his eyes. Hazel spoke up. "You may find that by looking in the right places you could find the underground tournament circuit."

"That's a good way to find murderers." Emerald said, looking away from the rest of them. "Is that what we _really_ want?"

"I shouldn't have to remind you of what's happened in the last few days, girl." Watts answered. "They are nothing unlike what you are. They simply do it for the sake of profits. If anything, they're better than you."

The look of pure shock that flashed over Emerald's expression was difficult to miss. Watts smirked, because it was how he knew that he'd hit home.

Which was just what he needed.


	49. Quicksilver

With the new plan laid out, Cinder found herself in a place where she needed to figure out her own plans moving forward. After two days of trying to figure out the best way to do things, Cinder threw her lack of plans to the wind.

She made a point to take Emerald when she went into the city, partially because it got the two of them away from the others, partially because they were going to be on a team together. They needed to be sure that whoever they chose to fill in the rest of their team would be sufficient, or someone that they could get along with. They'd gone through the paperwork that they'd been able to, but moving forward had been made impossible.

Some things were easy to reason. The next youngest of their group was Tyrian, but he wasn't young enough that he could pass as a student. There were at least 6 years before him and Cinder. Seven between him and Emerald. It just wouldn't have worked.

That was the reason that they'd gone into the city for. Watts had handed them a convenient enough lead in the form of Mistral's criminal culture. Cinder wasn't deeply familiar with it, but she had a feeling that Emerald was to at least some degree, considering that Emerald was a true street rat.

It was why they'd decided that Emerald should take the lead, despite the fact that she'd never done so before. Cinder followed after and listened to the little voice in her head that sounded too familiar.

 _You need someone strong,_ it whispered to her. _Someone that can be absolutely ruthless._

"Are you sure that you've been here before?" Cinder asked Emerald as she was led down a dark alleyway in what has to be the outskirts of the city. Emerald had been keeping to the shadows a lot, almost nervous to the point where Cinder couldn't trust that the girl's semblance hadn't been consistently in play. She supposed that unless Emerald _wanted_ her to know that her semblance was active, Emerald wouldn't really know. "Because I'm getting the feeling that you haven't."

Emerald paused, pressing herself in against a wooden wall, holding her head up high and peering out towards the road. "I've been here before." Emerald explains, her eyes flicking down to the space by her feet. "It's just... been a long time." Her gaze reached Cinder, and then the space just beyond them. Emerald looked back down at the ground again, apparently sure that they were alone.

With every passing moment, Cinder found herself with more questions about how Emerald had come to know the alleys. She'd probably grown up there, Cinder speculated, but she couldn't be sure. Without Emerald saying, she could never really know for sure. She had a feeling that Emerald wouldn't give up that information easily anyhow.

Emerald took a deep breath. "The thing with cities, is that you need to know where the rats are." She paused. "And there are _always_ rats."

"Like you do?"

"Like I do." Emerald repeated, finally letting herself move again. The two of them end up further in the shadows. Cinder followed after Emerald until they were at a metal door that had been all but buried into the ground. Emerald looked back at her over her shoulder and took a deep breath. "So just... let me take the lead."

Cinder nodded, but couldn't help but feel skeptical. "I just hope that we can find someone that could be useful." She watched Emerald closely. "I don't like that I've already had to find you by chance."

A look crossed Emerald's face that made it look like she'd just been slapped. Cinder felt absolutely no sympathy towards her for it, because it was true. Finding Emerald had been luck. If they needed someone that was going to be as ruthless as Cinder thought, then chance wouldn't do the trick.

"We'll find someone." Emerald said, but she didn't seem convinced. The way that her expression didn't change but her eyes flicked away from Cinder said enough. The tension in her shoulders, the frustration in her expression. "I think we will."

"Why?" Cinder interrogated. "Do you know someone?"

"No." Emerald mumbled. "It's just a—" She shook her head. "You'll... understand. Once you see."

Just like that she took a breath and knocked on the door. Cinder crossed her arms and leaned up against the building beside her, and waited.

The door opened just a crack, a man with eyes black as night and an angry face peering out towards her. "What do you want?"

Emerald put on her bravado and stood up tall just like that. "We wanted to see the fights." She said, putting on a smile of sorts. "And maybe even fight if we get the chance."

The man grunted and the door opened up just like that, Emerald and Cinder went in together. They perhaps walked a little closer to each other than they really needed to, but that didn't matter. Now that they were in, Cinder was surprised that they weren't being looked at. Nobody paid attention to them, all eyes glued onto a ring where two fighters were locked in combat.

The blood on the floor spoke for itself.

Cinder could tell that it was an intense enough place to be in. The battles seemed to match that. She looked over at Emerald, who had already wrapped her arms around herself in the hopes that she might be able to keep calm. "So what are we going to do now that we're here?"

Emerald took a breath. "We keep an open eye. If it comes down to it-" She picked her head up and focused on the current pair of fighters. "Then one of us can go in."

Cinder grimaced. "I still don't have a new weapon."

To Cinder's surprise, Emerald's main response was to give an almost nonchalant shrug. Her red eyes remained glued to the ring. "We can improvise."

Cinder watched Emerald's expression, and the rise of an eyebrow that she got in response was enough to explain. There was a blast of air behind the two of them, but neither of them paid it much attention. "Semblances are fair game, aren't they?"

"They are." Emerald blinked. "We just have to be clever if we end up doing this." She shrugged. "Or I go in and do it myself."

Cinder nodded. "If you do, don't disappoint me."

Emerald's eyes widened for just a moment before she whispered. "Yes, ma'am."

That was going to have to do for the moment, Cinder thought as she and Emerald walked up to the side of the ring. The two people in at the moment both looked too old to be able to pass as students. Of course there was the issue of whether or not they would be able to convince someone to join in their efforts.

Threats had been an option with Emerald. In a fighting pit with people trained for hand to hand battles, Cinder figured it was less likely.

One of the two fighters in the ring was knocked to the ground, flung out of the area in one easy blow. He landed not far from the two of them. Cinder stepped out of the way cleanly and when the man stood up, it was obvious he was missing a tooth.

In the far corner of the room there was the sound of some sort of small argument. Cinder glanced over her shoulder to see a boy there, with grey hair and a bruised face in the middle of an argument that she could only guess was his father. He was probably Emerald's age, Cinder thought. Perhaps a little older.

The boy was pushed towards the ring, stumbling uneasily. The man yelled something at him, but over the chaos of the room, Cinder couldn't focus on what it was. "Emerald." Cinder said quietly.

"What?" Emerald looked her in the eye. "What is it?"

"That one."

Emerald blinked, sneering a little bit like she was surprised by the suggestion. "That one?"

"Yes." Cinder replied. There was just something about it that told her that this was the right person. The age was right, at the very least. That might have been as much as they would be able to hope for. "I think so."

"But we haven't seen him fight." Emerald hissed back at her. "What if he can't?"

"It would help if he had a proper opponent." Cinder answered Emerald. She didn't think that she was going to be able to convince Emerald into the ring that easily, but she had reason to believe that her message had been sent. "We need to be patient, Emerald."

Emerald took a breath and nodded, but Cinder could see her hands balled into fists down at her sides. Something about the situation was getting to Emerald, and Cinder didn't know what. It occured to Cinder for just a moment that Emerald had been there before to fight.

 _Perhaps this was how she'd ended up on the streets,_ Cinder mused _. Or perhaps she knew this boy and didn't want to say anything.  
_  
If that was the case, then things were going to be _very_ interesting.

But sure enough another fighter fell into place across from the boy in the ring. The boy took a breath and held his head up high, putting on something that was almost confidence. Cinder couldn't possibly missed how feigned it was, with the boy's father lingering by the side of the ring and passing money off to someone else.

Either the match was being fixed, or it was a bet.

Cinder didn't quite want to know which was the case, personally.

But sure enough, the room got louder and louder as the fight finally began. The hulking man launched himself into the fight at the boy, while the boy decided to react by launching himself off to the side and out of the way. The evasiveness seemed like it would be good in close combat, but Cinder wasn't sure.

She needed to see more.

The two men stopped near the edges of the ring, both of them stopping dead in their tracks and turning back towards each other. Cinder glanced over at Emerald out of the corner of her eye, just hoping to be able to get a read.

"What do you think?" Cinder asked.

Emerald took a breath. "I think I know what we're seeing." She glanced back over at Cinder. "He's going to lose."

"That's a pity."

"No." Emerald shook her head to the negative. "It's probably a hustle." She whispered. "But..."

There was a too-loud noise, and Cinder saw the boy land in front of the two of them. He pushed himself up with his elbows, glaring across at his opponent before pushing himself back upright. Cinder could have sworn that he looked back at the two of them for just a moment, but banished the thought just as quickly as the boy launched himself at the man one last time.

He ended up with a fist in his stomach that launched him out of the ring. Cinder watched him. He pushed himself upright, shaky and uneasy on his feet before stumbling forward. The fact that a winner was already being declared didn't seem to matter to him.

Cinder furrowed her brow and leaned in towards Emerald. "It seems you were right."

Emerald nodded. "He isn't done." She said through grit teeth.

"Wait!" He shouted from the sidelines, taking his first steps back into the ring. "I know I can do better." He announced like that was all there was to it. "One more. That's all."

"You can't do it, boy." The man who had just won his match growled back. "Do you need me to teach you a lesson?"

The boy stood up tall and looked over to the side of the ring where the man that he'd come with was standing, talking to the same man that he'd been earlier.

"I guess you do." He said, staring back at the man with narrowed eyes. "Just one more fight. It won't be any skin off of your back."

The man shook his head. "The boy's an idiot!" He announced to the room and won an easy laugh out of just about everyone there. "But if he needs to be taught-"

He looked back at the boy and grinned. "Then I guess class is in session."

The boy nodded and walked to the same starting position that he'd been in for the first fight. He sank into a fighting stance while his opponent did the same on the other side. Cinder saw his eyes flicker over to the corner of the ring once more, a grimace passing over his face.

The fight began with the loud ring of the bell. The giant man charged the boy, swinging a mighty fist at his head. Instead the boy dropped down to the ground, catching himself on his hands and throwing his legs out to his sides, twisting a kick up into the man's jaw.

The man fell back a little bit, while the boy turned back upright before launching off of the ground at the man again, this time a little too hard and a little too quickly to be completely natural. Cinder could have sworn that she'd heard _something_ , but it didn't matter because he had a foot doing directly into the larger fighter's jaw.

The man went down with a loud enough thud that it made it feel like the building had shook. The boy landed evenly and stood up tall, stretching easily. "So that was your lesson?"

The entire room went silent, and Cinder saw that there was an obvious exchange of money. Now she had an idea as to just what exactly Emerald had meant.

It was a hustle, plain and simple.

"Thank you, sir." The boy said before turning and leaving the building. Cinder watched him and waited, the man following close after him.

"I think we're done here." Cinder whispered to Emerald, giving her a nudge. Emerald looked back at the ring and sighed before following after her.

There was just a moment's hesitation before they were on their way out of the building. Cinder made sure to try and keep her and Emerald's low profile on the way out, and when the guard gave them a weird look she simply offered that this wasn't the place for them.

It wasn't wrong. They'd found exactly what they'd been looking for.

"What now?" Emerald asked her once the two of them were in a place where it was unlikely that anyone would be listening in on them. "You found the one that you think you want, but-"

"But we need to find him." Cinder finished for Emerald with a roll of her eye. "I know."

"Look-" Emerald frowned and waved her hands a little bit, like she was trying to physically gather control over the situation. "If he's part of a scheme like that regularly, then he probably isn't leaving easy. And that's assuming that he has any real control."

Cinder took a breath. "We're going to get him. I can assure you of that."

"I know that you keep saying that but-" Emerald shook her head. "I don't know." Cinder saw the way that the girl's lips pursed in frustration, and the way that Emerald hugged herself in a weak attempt to gain some comfort. "We don't know anything about that boy, and we're going to have to go to Vale."

"Which is why we need to track him down first." Cinder explained. "Now be quiet."

Emerald snapped her mouth shut and Cinder felt a sort of satisfaction over it. She waved for Emerald to follow after her, deciding that the best starting place would be with a general perimeter check. It was what Hazel would have done, at the least. Cinder felt... _something_ over that thought, but tried her hardest not to dwell on it.

The two of them dipped around in front of the building. The streets were well-lit in the front, clearly prepared for any type of foot traffic which might have gone through the area. Cinder thought back to what they'd seen at the little underground matches. The boy had been bruised, conspicuously so.

Somehow, despite his performance, Cinder doubted that it was painted on.

The two of them strayed off onto the side roads, both of them listening in for the sounds of any voices. Off in the distance, Cinder thought she heard something and followed after it in the hopes of finding what she was looking for.

Just outside of the city limits there was the pair. Emerald and Cinder dipped out of view and waited, listening in on the discussion that was at hand. If there was anything which was immediately apparent, it was that it was rather heated.

"You know that you were supposed to throw that match." The older man growled at the boy, stepping in close and jabbing a finger in his direction. "We could have had a good thing going, Mercury."

"You got what you wanted." Mercury replied, but he sounded more than just angry when he said the words. "So I don't see the problem. Since you're not the one going into the ring."

"Don't go thinking that I didn't see what you did out there, boy." The man growled again. "I was generous to give you what I did."

"That's what we're calling it now?" Mercury bit back, only to be silenced by a too-loud and too-hard slap. He clamped his mouth shut and didn't raise his head again for the entire rest of the conversation.

"If you had been patient, you could have made me thousands of Lien. Instead I only got _three hundred and fifty_." The man took a step back. "So give me one good reason I shouldn't leave you in a ditch."

"I'm your son."

"Not good enough." The man replied. "You know they'd never find you."

"Like they never found— "

There was another blow, this one too hard. The boy was knocked back several feet this time, and Cinder saw the obvious flicker of his aura under the impact. Cinder took a breath and looked over at Emerald.

"Intervene."

The instruction that she gave wasn't good and she knew it. Of course, this was at least partially a test of seeing what Emerald would even do. Cinder would step in herself if she needed to, but she wasn't the one carrying a solid weapon.

Emerald took a breath and raised herself onto her feet before reaching back for her guns. She looked forward at the two men and Cinder waited.

The two of them jumped, Mercury putting more of a distance between himself and his father in the process.

"What was that?" The man growled.

"I don't know." Mercury replied, still shrinking back in his own way. "Maybe we should go."

"Bullshit." He grumbled. "Could be bandits."

"Not this close to a city— ." Mercury mumbled back. "Cops?"

"Get out of here." The man growled at Mercury, who gladly dipped out of the way. He turned to head back into the city, making a beeline for the inn that was nearest to the city gates.

Cinder got up and pat Emerald's shoulder to let the girl know that she was going. The two of them could meet back at their own room later regardless. Emerald nodded and slipped well out of view.

After a second, Cinder decided to follow after the boy. He glanced back over his shoulder for just a moment and sped up, but Cinder just did what she could to match his pace instead of let herself be left behind.

Mercury seemed to commit himself from getting away from her faster, but before he could get further, Cinder thought fast and threw herself into her semblance, bringing up a pillar of fire in front of him for just a moment. Just enough to stop him from going any further.

"Stop." Cinder commanded, making sure to hold herself tall and confidently like she would have with anyone else. "I just want to talk to you."

"Why?" Mercury snarled back. "Did you lose money because of me? Because I'm not the one to come to if that's your problem."

"No." Cinder smiled just a little bit. "But I am _very_ interested in you."

Mercury stared back at her, with black eyes and obvious anger in his face and the way that he stood. "What do you want then?"

Cinder cocked her head to the side. "You're a strong fighter."

"So what." Mercury growled. "What are you, a huntress?"

"No." Cinder stepped in towards Mercury regardless, hopeful to try and get something from him. "I'm not. I'm not law enforcement either."

"A client then?"

 _Client?_ "No." Cinder made sure to file that bit of information away for the future. "I am just looking for someone that could help me."

Mercury stood up tall. "I don't know that you know what you're getting involved with." The way that he held himself seemed to be completely calculated. Cinder was used to people that she was supposed to be afraid of that point.

It did nothing to her.

"I think that I do." Cinder sighed. "I need someone that can come with me and can hold his own in battle. I need someone that can be strong, and powerful, and someone that is capable of doing anything." She stepped in towards Mercury one last time and offered her hand. "My name is Cinder Fall."

He narrowed his eyes at her for a moment before glancing away from Cinder. He seemed to check for any spectators before looking back at her, intense and angry. "What do you really want from me?"

Cinder took a breath. "I am working on getting a group of people to go to Vale with me." She explained calmly. "For a particular task to be done."

"What does that have to do with me?" Mercury snarled back. "Because you haven't offered many reasons to go."

"I'm offering you a chance to get out of this." Cinder said, taking a breath. It reminded her of Emerald, and what it had taken to convince her. "I saw what happened between you and that man. Is he your father?"

"It's none of your business." Mercury muttered, looking back to the road again. "And you couldn't change things for me even if you wanted to." He sounded angry and even scared, which left Cinder wondering. "What do you want anyways? You still haven't given me a real reason."

Cinder took a breath. "I am involved in something great," She explained quietly. A part of her wanted to summon up the Maiden's power, to speak for Salem, but that wasn't something that she could allow. Not with someone that didn't know. "Something that has the potential to topple kingdoms. You can choose to say no to me, but if you do-" She stretched her hand out at her side, letting a flame form in her palm. "Then I am not afraid to leave you."

Mercury held his chin up. "What would be in it for me if I decided to go with you?"

"Power. Greatness. You could be away from this place, and you could pursue opportunities unlike anything you've been able to before." Cinder smiled at him and let the flame snuff out just as quickly as it had appeared. "All that I need from you is for you to say yes, and if you do, you will be safe and cared for."

This time when Cinder moved closer, Mercury didn't react much at all. Instead, he stood rigid and strong. "How are you so sure that you can do that?"

"I _am_ strong." Cinder said, and while those words would have sat so wrong with her before, now it did not. "In ways you could never imagine. But I need help, people that don't mind doing things that will often be unpleasant to achieve a goal. I can find you a doctor and feed you, and give you shelter. With me, you can be cared for."

She met his eyes. "You just have to say yes."

So she reached forward and offered Mercury her hand.


	50. Home Safe

Ruby, Blake, and Yang met just outside of the training room where Weiss was supposed to be getting a training session with her sister. Ruby felt like she was vibrating with excitement for their very first day out together not only as a team, but as _friends._

Or rather, it was the first time where the matter would be official. Either way, Ruby was _excited_ for what was to come. It hadn't taken much to arrange the day out together, but it was still important nonetheless.

Weiss stepped out of the room and Ruby nearly jumped on her in excitement. "Weiss!" She greeted her friend, almost too energetically.

Weiss took a breath, her hand still hovering at the hilt of her sword at her side. Not relaxed yet since she'd just finished a training session. "Yes, Ruby?" She asked, looking from Ruby to Blake and Yang who were hovering by just the same way.

"We are going out!" Ruby announced, already latching on to Weiss, locking the two of them arm in arm. "We can go and let you drop your things off, and then-"

"And then we're going for a walk around Vale." Yang said, smiling in a way that Ruby couldn't help but think looked almost wrong. "And getting things to eat."

"There was a ramen shop we all wanted to go to." Blake said with a slight shrug and a shy smile.

Weiss nodded, already beginning to lead the way at least to the lockers so she can store her things. Ruby allowed her to just tug her along, since there wasn't any real reason to put up any sort of fight. If they were just going to be going to the city, there wasn't much to worry about. At the very least Ruby doubted that they would find themselves in a fight. Vale was _safe_.

The four of them stopped for a minute before Ruby decided to hop up onto a bench and announce their plans for the day. The bench lurched slightly for a second until Ruby threw her arms out at her sides and caught balance again. Once she was safe, she stood up tall.

"We're going on our first adventure as a team!" Ruby said excitedly. "One that won't have us fighting monsters or anything like that. And we're going to start by flying down to Vale!"

"Thank you, Ruby." Yang said shrugging and waving off the comment with her right hand. Weiss and Blake both smiled at her before falling in behind Yang, if only slightly. The two of them locked in step, and Ruby decided to rush up and get in close to Yang. "I just really want a day off, I think." Yang said, looking away from Ruby. "Things have been kind of crazy lately."

Yang had been the one to announce that they were taking a day off in the first place. While Ruby had been the one to get the most excited about the four of them finally getting to go out, she knew it was Yang's idea. Yang had wanted a chance to both unwind, and to get Blake and Weiss a chance to see Vale properly.

"A day off does sound nice." Blake added with a sigh as she let herself stretch her arms back behind her with a satisfied expression on her face. She closed her eyes and relaxed a moment later. "Especially after the week that we've all had."

"Right." Weiss said, holding her head up high herself and clearly relaxing more and more with every moment that ticked by. "I have heard that Vale is nice this time of year. And I don't think that I've-"

Ruby saw the tug of a frown at the corner of Weiss' lips. Almost immediately she felt an immediate spike of some emotion over it. She knew that the only times Weiss has gotten to see Vale for real had been when they were on their way to the gates. That wasn't a problem for any of the rest of them, Ruby knew, but she still felt bad.

On the other hand, Ruby didn't even know how well Blake knew Vale herself. Blake's confidence, however, did speak to some sort of experience there. She _did_ have a habit of sneaking off without the rest of them, after all.

"The city is nice." Blake said with a shrug, and Ruby saw the way that Weiss relaxed, even slightly. "And I personally look forward to seeing it without having to worry about giant monsters or curfew."

"It's probably just like any other city." Yang said offhandedly. "I mean, I guess Atlas is colder."

"And Kuo Kuana is hotter." Blake retorted. "And Mistral is— " She stopped. Frowned. "About the same, actually. Maybe a little warmer."

"Have you been to those places?" Ruby asked, raising an eyebrow and giving Blake a look. She still didn't really know all that much about Blake. Somehow she'd never thought that Blake would talk about herself that much at all. "Or-"

"I've traveled some." Blake said, but her eyes darted away from the rest of them. Like she was trying to hide something from the rest of them and was afraid to let some sort of dirty laundry out for the rest of them to see properly. "I think that I might like Vale best though. Mistral's full of criminals and Kuo Kuana is crowded."

"I like Vale better than Atlas." Weiss added in a way that managed to come off as meek. "It's nice here. I think that I like the people better. And the weather is far nicer."

Yang shrugged. "I wouldn't know." She said plainly. "Me and Ruby have never really left Vale."

"We lived on Patch for a while." Ruby spoke up to amend her sister's comment. "I liked it there."

"But Patch is still in Vale." Yang responded quickly. "So we haven't _really_ left."

"Right." Ruby huffed.

Blake spoke up though. "You two never mentioned living anywhere other than Vale."

"We lived on Patch until our mom died." Ruby said, frowning a bit because she _knew_ enough to know that this was a difficult conversation for them to have. Even thinking about her mother was difficult most days. "We moved into the city not long after that. Dad thought it was safer."

Yang blinked. "I mean, there's more to it than that, but yeah, that's it. I liked Patch better, but we get to be closer to Qrow while we're here."

"And it's not in the middle of nowhere." Ruby added, smiling. She looked over at Blake now, more directly. "Where are you from anyways?"

Blake took a breath and shrugged. "My family moved around a lot. I don't really consider anywhere to be home."

Weiss gave Blake a suspicious look, and Ruby couldn't blame Weiss for it. "You've never mentioned any family." Weiss said plainly.

"I've never had much of a reason to, to be fair." Blake sighed. "And we're not on the... best terms."

"Right." Weiss frowned, nudging against Blake gently in the corner of Ruby's vision. A slight brush of their elbows. "If you say so."

Blake smiled, but she still came off as meek when she did so. "I promise it's nothing bad."

Ruby took a breath. "Well, I guess that means that me and Yang will have to be family to you two while you're here." She smiled, beaming at her teammates. "We're a team. We should keep that up as long as we can."

"Right." Yang said, putting a hand on Weiss' shoulder. "Team."

Weiss smiled softly, and Ruby could have almost sworn that she'd seen her partner's face begin to flush slightly. She wasn't sure, but she could have sworn—

Blake seemed to relax though, even if her eyes darted away from the rest of them. She smiled though, and that was how Ruby knew that they were doing things right. They were all alright.

Ruby looked back over her shoulder to check that everything was right, and with one motion she waved the others after her. There wasn't much, if any protest, and with that the four of them were on their ways to the docks. It would be a short flight down to the city, and then they had the day to themselves.

When they reached the airship docks, Ruby had to take a moment and stop dead in her tracks. She looked out at the city, at the docks, and the forest out in the distance. Seeing it without there being a monster in the distance was strange. She'd gotten used to seeing it there, and—

The four of them had a place in making it go away.

"Ruby?" Yang stopped beside her, and Ruby saw Weiss and Blake go on ahead, apparently interested in just boarding and getting out of there. Ruby blinked and looked up at her sister.

"Hey, Yang." Ruby said, quiet and unsure of herself for the moment. "I was just— " She took a breath. "It's nice not seeing it out there."

Yang looked out at the forest in the distance herself, and instead of seeming relaxed, she just frowned. "Yeah, it is." She said. "We should try and catch the ship. We'd be pretty bad guides if Blake and Weiss went on without us."

"Right." Ruby nodded and tugged her hood a little tighter. She and Yang walked to the ship together, and soon were taking their seats by Weiss and Blake. Ruby slipped into the area across from Weiss, while Yang took the seat across from Blake.

Blake shrugged, seeming relaxed and calm. At her side, Weiss looked out the window at the world below them.

Once the ship took off, the four of them didn't talk much. It left Ruby feeling mostly uneasy, because she knew that she and her teammates could probably have done better on that front. They were supposed to be closer, or at least that was what Ruby thought.

But the trip was short, and when the four of them landed in Vale, it was a quick departure. Together they walked outside of depot building and once they were ready Ruby decided to take the lead.

"So, I was thinking that we should see the city maybe?" She looked at Weiss and Blake, feeling a little bit worried. They were the ones that this trip was being held for in the first place.

"That sounds good." Yang said, waving the other forward after her. Ruby shrugged and fell into step, letting her sister lead. Yang took a breath and stretched, bringing her arms up behind her head in a way that made her look wholly relaxed. "Have you two even come down to Vale before?"

"Not really." Weiss sighed, shaking her head. "I haven't really been able to find the time since we got here. Things have been busy at Beacon and I've needed to do a lot of… catching up."

Blake shrugged, and Ruby got the distinct feeling that she had probably been down to Vale more times than she let on. "I've explored a little bit."

"Well, then I guess that we should just take you around." Yang said, turning to look back at the rest of them over her shoulder. "You've been to our dad's house, but that's kind of out of the way. And also not really a trip highlight for any reason other than dinner." She shrugged. "Ruby?"

"Yeah?" Ruby asked, making sure to edge herself in with the others. "What is it?"

"I think we should bring them downtown first." Yang suggested easily, and Ruby nodded quickly. "It's where all of the good food and shopping and stuff is."

"It's where the council building is." Ruby said with a shrug. "Oh, and the CCT!"

"All of the kingdoms have CCT buildings." Weiss spoke up, rolling her eyes a little bit. "I doubt that it's seriously that impressive."

"Not _all_ of the kingdoms." Blake mumbled, but it was quiet. Almost like she was hoping that someone wouldn't be able to pick up on it. Ruby gave Blake a look, but got absolutely nothing in return. Ruby felt no offense for it, which was good.

Yang shrugged. "Ruby just likes the CCT." She explained calmly. "When we were kids we used to go there to call our Uncle all the time." She took a breath and looked back at Weiss. "He was always on missions in far away places. If he got a chance to call from a CCT, he always would. And they always sold funnel cakes outside."

Blake took a breath. "I don't think that I've ever actually been to one of the towers." She said, putting on a smile of sorts. "So I guess that I wouldn't mind seeing it."

Weiss looked at Blake, locking their eyes. "You've really never been to one? I thought you traveleled a lot."

"I did." Blake answered, "But I wasn't exactly going to the major cities."

Weiss eyed Blake, almost suspiciously. "Why weren't you— "

Yang spoke up. "I guess we can start at the tower, then." Ruby nodded and hopped to the front of their group, choosing to take the lead and get them where they wanted to go. "All of the cool stuff in the city is built around it anyways."

"Right." Ruby replied as she hopped towards the front of the group so that she could take the lead. It wasn't as though she and Yang were in any sort of competition for the leadership of the team. Ruby just felt better at the front. She took a breath. "Vale's tower is probably kind of small." She blinked, even though she wasn't sure about it herself.

Ruby only knew Vale. She knew the height of Beacon Tower, and she knew the height of the tower at Signal. The CCT Tower outdid both of those, but she could only imagine that other places did it bigger. Ruby figured that Atlas' tower was the biggest of all of them. It _was_ the first one, after all.

"I'm sure they're the same." Weiss sighed, brushing her hair back away from her face. She hesitated though, her eyes flicking down like there was something that she wanted to say to the rest of their team. She seemed nervous, almost.

Ruby wished that she actually knew why.

"They are." Blake said with a shrug. "At least, that's what the books I've read have said."

"It's a tower." Yang stretched her arms over her head, smiling. "The real fun is everything around it. A Simple Wok is the best noodles in all of Vale and everyone knows it. There's also an arcade and stores and stuff. The Tower is there and when stuff happens in Vale, it's usually announced there, but it's not the only reason to visit."

Ruby nodded, walking them out of the building and tilting her head up so that she could get a good look at the sky. Peeking up over the rest of the city was the tower itself, and Beacon was off in the distance. Once again, Ruby was awestruck by the knowledge that something which had become a too-common part of Vale's skyline was gone partially because of her.

Even if she did have some questions left about it all. Questions that she didn't know she really expected an answer to.

Weiss stopped beside her, having noticed that Ruby was focused on the sky. "What are you looking for?" Weiss asked, squinting up at the sky above them like she was looking for a bullhead.

"We got rid of it." Ruby explained herself. "It's just weird that it was there so suddenly, and then it stayed, and then we— "

"We did our jobs." Yang spoke up, having turned to face the rest of them. They stopped in the streets, and the fact that they had company around them didn't seem to matter. Most people were just too content to go on with their lives with no idea to what was happening in the world of the Hunters. "And we should be happy with it."

Ruby nods. "It's just that we were so small compared to it. It could have killed all of us." She looks down at her feet, and sees an ant crawling over the stone below. It's so small. "And now it's just gone."

Blake sighed. "Yang is right." She said quietly. "We went out there, and we did our jobs. We can take time trying to be proud— " Blake locked her eyes with Ruby's. "But we can't. Not when we don't know what might happen next."

Weiss' eyes flicked away from the rest of them. "I think that all that we can really do is wait." She said quietly. "We don't know what is coming after, and while we may be sent out on our missions and recon, we aren't necessarily ready for everything. We have to keep on practicing."

Yang blinked. "You're saying that we can't get cocky."

"Exactly." Weiss took the steps that were enough to get the rest of them moving alongside her. "I'm afraid of what might happen. Vale isn't the only place where people choose to live. There are villages, and the three other kingdoms, and— "

"And not all of the places are as well-defended as others." Blake decided to add. "Vale needs to be thought of as an exception. The villages between the kingdoms were never really safe. Neither were the Desert Kingdoms."

Weiss gave Blake a weird look again. "What do you mean _kingdoms_? Vacuo is the only desert kingdom."

"Menagerie." Blake responded, keeping her voice hard and Ruby got the distinct feeling that something about this had actually made Blake _angry_. She didn't know what it could have been, though. "It's a populated island that's forced to share its living space with a desert that you can't live in."

Weiss took a deep breath. "Vacuo is the same way."

"Not by a bit." Blake bit back. "Vacuo somehow manages to have it better. No thanks to your family."

"That's easy for you to say." Weiss snapped back, and just like that Ruby saw the way that she speeded up and took her place at the front, but it seemed more like she was trying to storm off.

Ruby looked over at Yang, and then Blake. She wanted to go and do something to intervene. Instead, she looked up at her sister. "I uh.." She shuffled nervously. "Can you go talk to her? I don't know what I'd say."

Yang let out a breath. "Sure, Ruby." With that, she slipped off after Weiss, and Ruby was left alone with Blake. She looked up at her teammate, meeting her eyes.

"Is... something going on?"

Blake opened her mouth like she had something that she wanted to say, only to clamp it shut just as soon. Her eyes flicked down and Ruby wished that she knew.

Because the thing was that she knew that things had been kind of tense between Blake and Weiss in the past. There hadn't been much said to elaborate on it at all, but Ruby at least knew that Weiss had a facial scar that she'd gotten on Blake's account. And that the two of them didn't want to be around each other at all most of the time.

While it seemed like things were getting better between the two of them, now Ruby wasn't so sure.

She watched Blake's expression, only to get a frustrated sigh out of Blake as a response. "Everything is okay." She explained calmly. "That's all."

Ruby nodded, glancing back over towards where Weiss had stormed off, and Yang had followed. "You probably shouldn't have attacked her family like that." She shuffled awkwardly in the spot where she was standing. "I mean— "

"It's complicated." Blake mumbled. "She's going to be okay."

"If you say so."

"It's going to be okay." Blake repeats, watching for something that Ruby couldn't see.

Ruby sighed and looked around them before picking out a bench which she and Blake could share while they waited. She didn't want to go after the others and risk making things worse. That was for sure.

Blake sat beside her. The silence lingered between the two of them for too long before Blake spoke up. "I'm sorry."

"I know." Ruby frowned. "I don't think I'm the one you should apologize to though. Weiss seemed really upset."

"It's hard talking to her about certain things knowing what— " Ruby leaned in, seeing something between hot rage and cold regret passing over Blake's face. Blake didn't pay her any attention and instead chose to keep going. "Knowing about what the Schnee Dust Company has done, and the things that her family has enabled."

Ruby shrugs. "I mean, that's not her fault though."

"No." Blake frowned and shook her head. "It isn't. But it's still hard."

Ruby blinked and nudged Blake. "You know that you're allowed to talk to... well, I don't know about the others, but you're allowed to talk to me about stuff, right?" She swallowed, locking her eyes with Blake's soft gold ones. "I mean, we're teammates and I like you a lot."

"Ruby— "

"I don't want for you to feel like you have to go it alone. And Yang wouldn't want that for you either, I don't think." Ruby leaned forward, in her seat, choosing to rest her hands at her side while she did so. "If we're going to be a good team then we need to work together and be honest with each other."

Blake sighed. "I want to, there are just things that I can't talk about easily. You have to understand."

"I do!" Ruby responded. "At least I _think_ I do."

Before Blake was able to make any sort of response, Ruby felt her scroll vibrate against her leg. She sat up tall and reached for it, pulling it out.

The name on it was her sister's followed by a short message saying that she and Weiss wanted to meet.

Maybe all that had been necessary had been a little bit of space.

Ruby looked over at Blake. "They want to meet at the tower." She explained before pushing herself upright. "You should come with me." She took the short moment to stretch, swinging her arms down by her sides once she was done.

In one fluid motion Blake got herself up to her own feet before giving Ruby a slight signal that it was time for her to start leading the way. Ruby understood and began on the way out.

Blake walked alongside her. "So I guess that Weiss isn't that angry."

"I guess not." Ruby shrugged. "I mean, I think that it'd be easier if you just shared things with us."

"Probably." Blake responded, but she also made a point not to make too much eye contact with Ruby. When Ruby noticed she couldn't help but be a little bit put off by it. "Are we far from the tower?"

"Nope." Ruby smiled. "Yang said that we should meet them outside, so I'm going to guess that they might be getting food."

"Somehow I doubt that."

Ruby smiled again. "Well, you've never had the funnel cake that they sell near it. Yang likes it a lot, our uncle used to take us to get it when we were kids."

Blake took a breath.

Ruby decided to barrel on in her own story. "I'm glad that he's the one that we've been put to work with the most."

"He's a surprisingly good mentor."

"Right?" Ruby bounced forward a bit more. "I mean, he hated teaching at Signal, but he's pretty good. I wouldn't be able to do anything without him."

"He's good." Blake cut her off.

Ruby frowned, still very unsure of what to make of the conversation, but shook her head. It wasn't what she and Blake needed to be concentrating on or thinking about and both of them knew it perfectly well. She just tries to keep her head up high and made a point to take the lead.

As the two of them walked through the city of Vale, the CCT Tower began to peek up over the skyline and into view. Ruby stopped in her tracks and looked up at it, while Blake did the same, pensive as ever. "That's it." Ruby told her teammate.

"It's definitely... big." Blake said with a slight shake of her head as she continued towards it. "I guess that it's about what I was expecting to see."

"Yeah, it's like that." Ruby replied, making sure to keep pace. As the two of them got closer and closer to the tower itself, she made sure to scan the area in search of her and Blake's teammates. Wherever Weiss and Yang were, they were sure to be keeping busy. There was no way that Yang would be sticking around doing nothing. "We should find Yang and Weiss."

"We could start by checking inside." Blake suggested with a slight shrug. "Or at one of the stands."

"Yeah, probably. Yang's probably forcing Weiss to eat funnel cake." Ruby bounced up to a bench and hopped up onto it, making sure to balance on the tips of her toes as she got a look at what was going on around them. There were people, milling about and laughing and just enjoying their time near the tower. Some of them seemed to be groups of tourists, gathering for photos. By a food stand, a little line of people had formed, but no sign of Weiss or Yang there.

"Sis!" A voice called from across the clearing, and Ruby smiled wide when she saw the distinct wave of Yang's right hand over her head. "C'mon!"

"Found them!" Ruby jumped down and grabbed onto Blake's hand before tugging her forward. The two of them ran across the courtyard to find Yang and Weiss were standing by a public drinking fountain. The way that the two of them were holding themselves made it seem almost like there was nothing wrong. Weiss was looking off to the side a little bit awkwardly, but Ruby didn't want to judge her for it.

Awkward was kind of the name of the game.

"Weiss." Blake took a few steps forward. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." The heiress replied, but her eyes still flicked away. "Can we try to forget that this happened? Today was supposed to be… nice."

"Yeah." Blake confirmed. The two of them exchanged a look that Ruby couldn't quite read. From behind them, Ruby met Yang's eyes and shrugged.

Yang walked to her side and gave her just the slightest nudge. "It's fine." Yang said reassuringly. "Day's still on. We shouldn't worry."

"Right." Ruby looked around. They had gotten to the tower but if they were going to hang around there, then they needed to have an idea of what they were going to do. It was a starting point for making plans, but not really much of anything beyond that.

A group of students gathered by the tower and posed together in a photo.

"Yang." Ruby said quietly, gesturing towards the group. "We've never taken a team photo, have we?"

"What?" Yang cocked her head, her eyes narrowing for the moment but whatever feeling she had passed quickly. "I mean, I guess we haven't. Why?"

"Dad has one." Ruby answered, blinking. She knew the photo well. It was kept on the mirror in their father's bedroom, always in view of just him because he was afraid to let them see. Afraid that it would bring up bad memories, but Ruby knew he kept it because it brought him the happier ones. "Maybe we should take a team photo. Everyone probably does it."

Yang nodded slowly, looking back over at their teammates. Weiss and Blake had fallen in together, looking up at the tower while Blake reached for her scroll and checked something on it. Ruby didn't know what she could have been interested in, but it was probably not her business. "It probably isn't a bad idea."

"It'd make it feel more real." Ruby whispered back to her sister. "I mean, we've fought monsters together. We should _probably_ have something to hold onto after all of that."

"You're right." Yang shrugged. Before Ruby could even begin to get another word in, Yang tilted her head back just slightly and called to Blake and Weiss. The two girls jumped slightly, looked back over their shoulders at her, and Weiss was first to speak.

"What is it?" She asked, managing to sound just a little bit irritated. Classic Weiss.

"We wanted to take a team photo." Ruby took a few steps forward. "I mean, we're a team, right?"

Blake and Weiss exchanged an almost uneasy look, but neither of them said anything. "It'd be a way to remember this all by." Ruby charged on, since she had a feeling that she had some convicing to do anyways. "And it would be nice!"

Weiss took a slight breath. "You really want to take a team photo?"

"Of course we do." Yang said, leaning against the building and shrugging. "We're a team. We may try and act like it, but— "

"But there's still more we can do." Ruby finished for her older sister. "There's a really good view of the city from the top floor of the tower. I think we could go up there, and if we asked we could get someone to take a photo of us."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "You're really sure that would work?" There was just the slightest hint of suspicion in her voice.

"Yeah, of course." Ruby grinned. "We're friends. Besides, it's not like people wouldn't help us."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt." Blake said, but sounded annoyed with it. Like she was afraid of momentos. "We should do it."

"Blake?"

"C'mon, Ice Queen." Yang said easily. "It's just a photo op. You've probably done a ton of them."

Weiss looked among the rest of them and took a breath. "Okay." She whispered finally. "We'll take a photo together if that's what you all _really_ insist on doing."

Ruby beamed and quickly snatched up Weiss' arm, tugging her towards the CCT. Blake and Yang followed soon after. Within minutes the four of them had been checked in and were piled into an elevator that was going to bring them to the CCT's observation deck.

There was a certain sort of nervous energy in the elevator, but Ruby did her best to ignore it. It was supposed to be a happy day. A day that the four of them were supposed to truly enjoy together. She didn't want to _really_ avoid those bad feelings, but still Ruby wanted for them to be happy.

The elevator stopped at the top floor of the tower, and Ruby led the way off. The observation deck was a wide room. The only things that filled it was a collection of benches, and a pair of vending machines that had been tucked into a corner.

"This is the observation deck?" Blake asked, leading the way in and giving it a good look around. She wrapped her arms around herself, clearly trying to give herself some sort of vague comfort that Ruby couldn't quite identify.

"It is." Yang said. She walked to the far side of the room and looked out the wide window that overlooked the forest in the distance. She leaned against a supporting pillar and looked horribly sad.

Ruby stood back and watched, unsure. She wanted to make her sister happy, but she just didn't know how. There was only so much that she could do without any information.

Weiss stepped in and just rolled her eyes. "I've seen better."

"Have you?" Blake asked, skeptically.

"I have." Weiss said with a shrug. She locked her eyes with Ruby's. "You said that you wanted to take a photo together?"

"Yeah!" Ruby reached into the pockets on her skirt, and fished out her scroll. She pulled it open and flicked the messages that she'd gotten from some of her friends at Beacon off to the side. "We just have to find someone to-"

She frowned and looked around the room.

Before anything could be said, the elevator opened from behind the rest of them. Ruby looked back over her shoulder and saw a group of students that she recognized from Beacon come in.

At the head of the group, Ruby saw Velvet Scarlatina, followed closely after by Yatsuhashi Daichi. Members of Team CFVY. Ruby knew them as upperclassmen. On her first day at Beacon Velvet had offered to help show her to classes when she got lost.

It gave her an idea.

"Hey, Velvet." Ruby greeted the girl, taking the moment to bounce away from her teammates. "Do you think that you could help us out with something?"

Velvet blinked and cocked her head to the side. Her large ears swayed slightly with the motion. "Uh, I guess. What is it?"

Ruby offered her scroll to the girl. "We wanted to try and get a photo together." She glanced back over her shoulder at her teammates. "Do you think that you could..."

Velvet smiled and looked back at Yatsuhashi. "Make the call. I'll be there in a moment." Yatsuhashi nodded silently and went off on his way to a terminal. With him gone for the moment, Velvet looked back at Ruby. "Of course I can take a picture for all of you."

"Oh, thank you!" Ruby squealed, pushing her scroll towards Velvet earnestly.

Velvet raised a hand, and shook her head. "I have my own camera. What I do with it will look better than anything off of a scroll."

"And you can get us copies?"

"Of course." Velvet smiled wide at her and reached for the case at her side. "And I'm happy to help. It'll be a little extra work over what I usually do to develop them, but I think it's worth it." Velvet removed a camera from the case at her back, one which Ruby had seen a few times before in the past but had never thought much of. "Is this your first team photo?"

"Sure is." Yang interjected. Ruby jumped a little bit, since she hadn't even noticed that her sister had crept up over her shoulder like that. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, we wanted to make some calls home." Velvet explained calmly. "I can't usually get in contact with my family in Menagerie." She looked back over her shoulder towards where Yatsuhashi was. "And me and Yatsu don't like making calls from the library."

"Huh." Ruby blinked. "Cool."

"Yeah." Velvet shrugged and looked between the four of them. "Could you guys get together for a photo?"

Yang smiled and nodded before giving Ruby a little nudge. Ruby followed after and the two of them walked over towards the spot where Blake and Weiss were talking quietly, both looking out at the view of the forest outside.

"Guys." Yang said, and that was all that was needed to get the attention of Weiss and Blake both. The two of them turned towards Velvet in front of the wide glass window.

Ruby edged in beside Weiss, while Yang did the same on Blake's side, choosing to drape an arm around her shoulders. Velvet moved back, getting into position and holding her camera up in front of her face. Moments later, they were all being told to say " _cheese_ " and the only things to tell them that the photo had been taken were a quiet click and a flash of Dust-powered light.

This happened three times. Velvet finally put on a smile before waving the four of them over. "Come look."

Ruby smiled and bounced back across the room before lodging herself in next to Velvet. The others came a little bit slower. Once the four of them were all gathered around, Velvet held the camera far out in front of her so that the rest of them could see the screen.

Sure enough, there were the four of them huddled together and smiling wide, with the clear skies laid out behind them.

There wasn't a single grimm in sight.

* * *

 **Last chapter.**

 **I mean, kind of.**

 **The truth is this is technically book 1. I've been working on putting together what part 2 of this story is going to look like, and I've been slowly but surely working on a shorter prequel fic that'll come between the two parts of the story.**

 **It gets here when it gets here.**

 **Aside from that, thank you to everyone that's been reading and following along with this fic. It means a lot and I hope that you'll join me for what comes next because this story is far from over.**


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